


Left Behind

by Red8Eyed8Surprise



Series: Holly/Sirius [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adultery, Adulthood, Baby, Back to School, Break Up, Career options, Drama & Romance, F/M, Friendship, Growing Up, New Friendships, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 13:05:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1649654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red8Eyed8Surprise/pseuds/Red8Eyed8Surprise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything has gone down hill. A new school year has started, her relationship with Sirius broken off, but not by her choice. Now Holly has no choice but to move forward with her life. Will she continue to pursue Sirius or leave that love behind her? Or will they both fight for the relationship to work when life decides to throw them a curve ball. Drama seems to be around every corner for Holly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

She should have seen this coming.

As the weeks progressed and the new school year came closer and closer to commencement Holly could feel him drawing away from her. Keeping their relationship a secret had been surprisingly easy. Grimmauld Place was a large home. Large enough that one could hide a relationship right under the noses of the other occupants, specifically one Mrs. Weasley. The person they found that was so much harder to fool had been Lupin. Holly should have known that even a simple cleansing or refresher charm was not enough to fool him.

The way that he eyeballed them, looked at her with a disappointed expression had almost been too much. No, it had not made her ashamed, it had made her angry. Who was he to be disappointed in her? He was her Third Year professor! Yes, be had been best friends with her father once upon a time, but that was the extent of their relationship. He had not been involved in her horribly scarring childhood with the Dursleys. He had not stayed in touch after he had quit the position either. At least dear Sirius had an excuse of Azkaban!

Lupin was the last person she would allow to pass judgement on her decisions. She was a seventeen year old, headstrong girl. No one told her what to do, bloody hell, not even Dumbledore could make her do something she did not want to do. The stubbornness, Minerva McGonagall said, she had gotten from her mother. It was the same stubbornness that had kept her mother from dating her father so early on in her school years. Her best friends, Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger were supportive in her decisions. Well, as supportive as they could be in secret. At the beginning they were very conflicted with her decision. Well, Hermione had been conflicted while Ginny had been all for Holly doing exactly as she pleased. Hermione had been concerned about her reputation, about her feelings with being with an older man.

"It's love, Hermione," Ginny said with exasperation.

Thinking back on this conversation years later had made Holly realise how naive she and her two best friends had really been with many aspects of real life. But once again, who was anyone currently in her life, more qualified than herself, to have any idea on the longevity- the pureness of her love for Sirius Black? The answer is still the same as it is presently. No one but herself. Once again there was no conceivable way she would allow anyone to pass judgement on her relationships, her feelings, on anything let alone her love life.

"Sirius and Holly love each other."

"I'm not doubting Holly's feelings for him!" Hermione had defended. "But I will not deny doubting his."

Holly had been confused. Doubt Sirius' feelings for her? She? Never!

"What do mean?" Holly had asked, quite confused.

"Well, he's an older man, isn't he? Older and younger men think differently, I've come to realise. You are a younger women and he is an older man. His interpretation of this relationship may be different then your own. His feelings for you may be different then your own.."

Both Ginny and Holly looked to each other before bursting into laughter. Hermione looked on with a pinched expression. Her worry was evident in her brown eyes.

"Hermione," Holly had grinned. "I appreciate the concern for my feelings. But I think I know how Sirius feels about me."

Hermione bit on the side of her lip. "I just.. Don't want you to get your feelings hurt."

"Don't worry so much," Holly said. She smiled softly at her friend who returned it reluctantly.

"I'm not going to get hurt, Mione. The only thing, the only person, who can really hurt me is Sirius. And believe me, he would never do anything to hurt me."

How horribly wrong she was.


	2. Betrayal

There was something to be said about a secret love. The excitement, the passion they put into their short trysts were something that made her heart beat a little faster. And that was just by thinking about it. The possibility that they might be discovered by anyone staying in Grimmauld Place certainly added to the excitement.

Then again, could they really be called secret lovers if there were more people than just themselves who knew about the relationship? There were Hermione and Ginny, both of whom covered for her when she disappeared from the general familial gatherings.

And then there was George, Ginny's older brother. She had been quite mortified when George had walked into her room one night unannounced. Her knees had been over Sirius' shoulders, his trousers bunched at the ankles. She had immediately covered her bare chest and they had both froze as if they had been petrified.

George had frozen too, his eyes wide and disbelieving at the scene sprawled out on the bed before him. And then his surprised looked had vanished. It was replaced with the mischievous look that no one had seen on his face since before his twin brother Fred had been killed.

"Well," he let out, his grin reminiscent of the muggle Christmas toon, the Grinch. "Carry on then. And don't forget the bloody locking and silencing charms. Thought you were both being murdered in here for Merlin's sake."

He had then closed the door, locking it behind him. Sirius and Holly had looked at each other and began laughing at the hilarity of the situation, the adrenaline of their love-making and being discovered so suddenly pumping thru their veins. Banging on the door startled them and George's voice had spoken through the wood.

"I thought I said not to forget about the silencing charms!"

His demeanor, reminiscent of the days before his twin brother's death, was enough for Holly to forgive him the interruption into her room. George Weasley had not been the same since his twin brother's death during the last battle at Hogwarts. There had been a critical moment that the Weasley family had feared he would commit suicide in grief. With the constant care and supervision from his family and friends, George seemed to have abandoned his dark thoughts. Holly understood though. This had been his brother, after all. And Fred had also been their son and brother. With their constant presence they wanted to assure the young man who Fred would never want his beloved brother to harm himself.

"A thought just came to me," Holly whispered in the dark.

They were both naked under the thin sheets. Even with a cooling charms, the night was a hot one. Their enthusiastic love-making had not helped the temperature of the room either. Her cheek was laid against his shoulder as Sirius breathed deeply to catch his breath.

"There are too many people who know about us," Holly said wryly. "Too many."

Sirius chuckled. "Quite right. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Ginny is too many. Hermione is fine, she has a level and intelligent head on her, but Ginny-"

"There is nothing wrong with Ginny," Holly countered with a laugh.

"She's a girl," Sirius said dryly.

"And what do you take me for, sir?"

"A mature, of age, woman," Sirius retorted, sounding quite serious. "You and Hermione both. Ginny on the other hand is still a girl.

"Now don't get me wrong," he interrupted before she could speak out on Ginny's behalf again. "I know for a fact that for some people their age does not decide their maturity. But Ginny is not one of those people, love. She is a little girl whom I doubt very much to keep a secret of this size. A secret of any magnitude, really.."

Holly sighed. "I understand what you are saying..if it makes you feel better, I'll have a talk to her about discretion."

"Thank you," Sirius answered. "..And I'm sorry for getting a tad excited there in the conversation."

"No, it's fine. I understand that your concerned about us. So am I..Remus is supposed to be back tomorrow."

Her lover was quiet. She could feel his fingers gliding down her naked back until his hand came to rest on her hip. Holly knew for a fact that he had also had Remus Lupin on his mind. Remus Lupin, best friend of Sirius Black and a lycanthrope since a young age. Keeping a secret from a werewolf was going to be quite difficult.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It felt as if she had just fallen to sleep when Sirius had woken her at 6:30AM. It was a nightly ritual. They would wake before Mrs. Weasley, Holly would shower and sneak back to her room before the Weasley matriarch would knock and enter her bedroom at 7AM sharp for breakfast.

Holly went to her room in her bath towel, her hair was still soaking. She was running a little late. She shut her door behind her with a quiet snap and immediately rushed to her bathroom just as Mrs. Weasley knocked on her bedroom door and entered.

"Breakfast is ready, dear," Mrs. Weasley said quietly, a small smile on her face.

Holly stuck her head out of the bathroom door and returned that smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley...Er, do you think you can take my skirt out of the closet for me? And a matching blouse."

Molly Weasley's smile brightened just a bit more and Holly was glad it did. Molly's demeanor had been quite subdued since the death of her son Fred, everyone's demeanor really. It had been months, but the pain of losing a brother figure had been like no other to Holly. She did not even want to imagine how painful it must be for the Weasley family since Fred had been their real flesh and blood.

"It would be my pleasure," Mrs. Weasley said as she opened her closet. "Ginny no longer allows me to help with her clothing. My, the last time I helped her dress was when she was around eleven years. And now she is sixteen. She is going to be seventeen in just a couple of short months. And you and Hermione and Ron are seventeen going on eighteen..Where does the time fly to?"

The clothes were passed to Holly through the open door. Mrs. Weasley turned away as Holly quickly dressed. She walked out of the bathroom, face freshly scrubbed and a healthy pink.

"I don't mind the help, really," Holly said as she brought out her dirty clothing. "I've never had anyone who cared enough to help me with my clothes before. My aunt was, well, uninterested with me..And of course you know about my parentless situation."

Mrs. Weasley nodded sympathetically, but she also looked a little confused.

"I will never be able to understand why your aunt would act that way," Mrs. Weasley looked sad once again and Holly regretted ever bringing Petunia Dursley's name into the conversation.

"Jealousy, is how I've come to understand it," Holly answered quietly.

Holly began to braid her hair slowly as she told the tale of two flower sisters from Surrey. One red-haired and the older one blonde. One magical and the other muggle. By the time her tale ended her hair was perfect. She had braided it down to her waist and tied it tightly with a bottle green leather hair tie that matched the color of her skirt.

"Those poor girls," Mrs. Weasley sniffed. "And Severus. Oh my, poor Severus Snape."

Holly nodded. "He had been in love with my mother since the moment he met her. And until the day he died. It was one of the reasons why he hated my father and by extension, I suppose, disliked me.

"My father, he had bullied Snape during all seven years of his schooling. When he married my mother that was just more incentive to hate James. And the Lily became pregnant with me. Once I was born I suppose I was just another person who had more claim on Lily then he did. Another Potter."

A soft and gentle hand reached forward and wiped away tears that Holly had no idea had fallen. Mrs. Weasley pressed a kiss to her forward.

"I wish things would have been different," Holly whispered, trying to control the emotion in her voice.

"We all do, dear. But there is nothing we can do about the past anymore. We can only move forward."

Wiping her face with her apron, Mrs. Weasley smoothed it back in place and rose from her seat on Holly's bed. She ushered the young woman out of the door and down to the kitchen.

"Let's get down before the men eat everything in sight."

Most of the house hold was in the kitchen now. Including, to Holly's immense suprise, Remus Lupin, whom looked up at their entrance and smiled jovially. Holly sat down beside hesitantly and accepted the clean plate he offered.

"It's nice to see you again, Remus," Holly said quietly.

"Likewise, Holly," Remus had replied. "How have you been?"

"The same since the last you saw me," she had answered, "Looking forward to finishing up my seventh year by the Christmas Holidays. And then beginning my healing internship in January."

His amber-colored eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "By Christmas?!"

Hermione, whom had sat across from them leaned forward with an enthusiastic nod. Her chocolate-colored eyes brightened at the thought of discussing the curriculum she and Holly had taken.

"Has no one told you?" Hermione interjected, excited at the prospect of talking about their education. "Holly and I had begun our seventh year studies by owl at the beginning of the Summer! We only have about half a semester to carry out and then we just have to test out of the exams!"

"Really?" Remus asked, looking utterly fascinated and even a bit proud. "I had no idea the professors of Hogwarts offered studies by owl now."

"The exception was made for those who had missed last year and would like to complete for their full Hogwarts diploma," Hermione said, though she suddenly looked put out. "Unfortunately, there were only around fifty who elected to finish their last year. Everyone else went into internships that did not need the clocked hours of advanced classes or they went into the workforce."

Holly rolled her eyes in good nature and explained to Remus from the, "Hermione is just a might put out that there are only about nine people out of Gryffindor who actually cared about getting their Hogwarts school diploma."

"I see. Well, good on you both," Remus said while shoveling more food to his plate. "I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we are very proud of you."

"Here, here!"

George shouted out to the occupants of the kitchen. Arthur toasted from the head of the table with a full glass of pumpkin juice. Remus reached an arm around Holly and gave her a one-armed hug. Holly returned the hug with a soft smile, placing her head on shoulder momentarily before moving away.

Suddenly, Remus stiffened and tightened his hold on her. She had no choice but to press back into his side again. Then, just as suddenly as he had tightened his hold on her, he let her go. His smile turned tight and his eyes turned a dark amber.

"That's an interesting scent you're wearing," Remus bit out. "I almost didn't smell it. But it's there. Just there under your soap. It's familiar. A very expensive men's cologne."

Holly froze. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hermione freeze and Ginny on the other side of Remus leaned forward to look the man in the face with wide eyes.

"It might be Sirius' cologne," Ginny said with a widening smile.

The blood completely drained from her face and she supposed she must have looked like a Hogwarts ghost. Her eyes drifted to the other occupants of the breakfast table and she was relieved to find that their conversation had not caught anyone's attention.

"Yes," Holly breathed out. She was suddenly feeling short of breath. "Sirius' cologne, no doubt be-because we spend so much time together."

Ginny leaned back in her chair and threw her head back, letting out a cackle.

"That is so funny!" Ginny laughed out.

The bookworm of the trio of friends gaped at the younger of the three in offended disbelief at her action. Hermione turned to eyeball Remus, whom looked none too happy. In fact the man looked quite murderous, his amber eyes darkening further.

"Ginny?" Holly suddenly breathed out. "Can I have a word, please?"

Ginny stopped laughing and turned to look to Holly with a bright smile. Her bright smile disappeared at the sight of Holly's expression. The pale, ghost like face of shock was gone and in its place was thunderous anger. Never before had anyone seen such a look on the girl's face.

Ginny nodded with wide eyes. "S-sure."

They both rose from their seats at the breakfast table and walked toward the door. As they went through the entrance/exit for the kitchen Holly began walking upstairs. On the way up they passed a pleasantly surprised looking Sirius who gave a brief kiss to the corner of Holly's mouth.

"Remus is here," Holly said quickly, before she went passed him to her floor.

Sirius nodded quickly before looking to Ginny.

"Good morning, Ginevra."

"Heh, morning Sirius."

Holly went quickly to her door and allowed Ginny to enter before her, then quickly closed it. With a swish of her arm, the wand that was strapped to her right arm let out a couple of silver sparks to announce the commencement of a silencing charm on the bedroom.

"What the bloody fuck is the matter with you, Ginny?!"

"What did I do?!" Ginny asked with bewildered panic flashing in her eyes.

"What did you do?!" Holly repeated in disbelief. "How can you not know what you did, Ginny? You basically outed my relationship with Sirius through your disgusting, and quite frankly disrespectful, comments!"

"I was only joking, Holly!"

"Why?!" Holly asked. "Why would you joke about my relationship like that?! You knew we wanted to keep it a secret, I told you that! Why would you joke that way in front of the household?! IN FRONT OF REMUS?!"

"Shut it!" Ginny suddenly shouted, her face turning red. "Just shut up about it already! I only made a simple joking comment about your stupid relationship! I didn't bloody out you both to the world! And what the hell are you mad about anyway?! Everyone was bound to find out anyway!"

Holly shook her head, still in disbelief at the way that one of her best friends was acting. Their argument had gotten so heated they had begun shouting at each other. Holly chose then to stop the argument, because she knew that in the end they would end up dueling in her bedroom and that would no doubt cause a ruckus in the household, which would lead to the truth of the matter. Her taboo romantic relationship with her godfather, Sirius.

Oh Merlin, Sirius! She should have listened to him in the first place. He had been right this whole time about Ginny Weasley.

"Get out," Holly suddenly spat out. "Get the fuck out of my room.."

"Oh, bloody bite me," Ginny made a face and rolled her eyes. "Owl me when you get the wand out of your arse."

Growling in anger, Holly retorted hotly. "I won't owl you anything, Ginny Weasley. And I had better not hear anything from you either. I don't ever want to speak to you again. Not until you understand that what you did down in the kitchen had been an evil sort of betrayal that no best friend would ever do. Not until you apologise."

"Not bloody likely, you bitch," Ginny spat.

As Ginny wrenched the door open in hostility, they could both feel the silencing charm break and dissipate away. Holly suddenly grabbed a hold of the door.

"If I get any kind of whisper that you have talked about my relationship again.." Holly warned. "I swear to you there will be dire consequences."

Ginny stood tall and looked Holly in the eye with an eyebrow raised in challenge. "Really now?"

"Oh yes," Holly answered. "Otherwise, everyone will know about a certain pregnancy scare that happened at the beginning of the Summer Holidays."

Ginny sucked in a breath, her ears burning red with what Holly could only speculate was a mixture of mortification and anger. The red-haired teen swiftly exited the bedroom in a hurry, slamming the door behind her on her way out.

As quickly as the door slammed, Holly locked it. She backed away from the door until the back of her knees hit the bed and she fell back on her bottom on the soft mattress. She placed her head in her hands and cried for the best friend she lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are slight differences with this story than there are with the version posted on FF.net, but I was satisfied with the way it came out. And there are actually about three more chapters posted on that FF.net version as well if you guys would like to go check it out. I'm under the Author name RedEyedSurprise without all the '8's.


	3. Break Up

Friends. Without her very best friends at her side, Holly really didn't think she would have made it past the age of seventeen. She had never really thought she would ever have friends, either. From the age of four to ten her cousin Dudley had bullied away anyone who even tried to talk to her, the freak.

Imagine her surprise that her very first friend would be a half giant named Hagrid. A half giant! And then she had made a second friend. Her name had been Ginny Weasley. Ginevra was her first name, but you would soon be feeling the wrath of her bat bogey hex if you dared used it.

Hagrid had shown her the way to King 's Cross station and left her on her own. She had led herself nearly to tears searching for a platform labeled Nine and Three Quarters that did not exist to the muggle eye, when a gentle hand tapped her arm. A girl just a couple of inches shorter than herself, with the brightest of ginger hair Holly had ever seen, was smiling kindly to her.

"Hi, I'm Ginny. Do you need help getting on the train to Hogwarts?"

Holly nodded and then smiled back. "Yes, please. My name is Holly. Holly Potter, it's nice to meet you, Ginny."

"Holly?"

She raised her head from her hands and looked up as Hermione rushed in and closed the door behind herself. Her brown hair, which had previously been in a sleek bun at the breakfast table, was now looking frizzy. Now there were curls escaping and blocking her eyes.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, she sounded a bit winded. "You and Ginny left and didn't come back!"

Hermione sat down on the bed as Holly explained what had taken place in her bedroom between Ginny and herself. Her chocolate-brown eyes became larger when Holly explained how to it escalated to the dissolution of her friendship with the red-haired girl.

"I can't believe that she would act this way, though," Holly wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. "She's never acted that way before!"

"Well," Hermione shrugged her shoulder. "Yeah, she has."

Holly picked up her head and looked to Hermione in astonishment. "What? B-but I've never seen this behaviour from her before and we've been friends since I was eleven and she was ten!"

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen before!" Hermione retorted. "Don't you remember all those times when she would hint at something her brothers were not supposed to be doing to the professors or her parents? This is exactly the same thing, Holly.

"She was hinting to those around us about your relationship with Sirius, in exactly the same way," Hermione explained on. "Whenever she would do it to her brothers I always got the inkling that it was out of pure amusement.."

"So what?" Holly asked in outrage, her emerald eyes glinting with anger in the morning sunlight that poured in from a small window by her bed. "She was being deliberately malicious because she wanted to squeal about what Sirius and I are doing?!"

Hermione cringed. "Er, maybe more like she was being deliberately malicious for her own amusement..? I mean, the way she was laughing while she was saying those things-"

"That bloody tart," Holly swore angrily. "That cow...That bloody tart-y cow. I never knew she was such a..a.."

"Bitch?" Hermione asked, quietly.

Holly turned to look at Hermione. "Yeah."

The raven-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest before looking to Hermione.

"Out with it."

Hermione looked confused. "What?"

"You know much more about this Ginny situation, don't you," Holly questioned, her eyes narrowing. "You sound less surprised than what I was expecting."

The bushy-haired girl sighed and nodded. Hermione moved until she sat down on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. she had slipped off her shoes and got comfortable before taking a deep breath. "What was I supposed to do?..You know my whole story before Hogwarts, Holly. You were my first friend, ever! I didn't have friends before Hogwarts because I was so nerdy and bossy.."

"Oh Hermione," Holly sighed.

"But you were Ginny's friend before you were mine," Hermione continued on, her voice wavering. "She was always more your friend than mine..How was I supposed to bring up the fact that to me she was always such a -a.."

"Bitch?" Holly offered with a smile.

"Yes," Hermione gave her a watery smile. "Your first best friend in Hogwarts was always such a bitch to me. First it started with me being a "bookworm" and always wanting to go to the library to study. As we got older, it turned to my muggle clothes, my hair, my teeth..And she was alway so hostile. Especially when I held your attention for any reason. She would get this heated look in her eye.."

Hermione stopped talking long enough to fish a tissue out of her pocket. She blew her nose noisily. Holly moved over to Hermione's side and sat beside her, her back leaning against the head-board.

"I'm sorry I never noticed," Holly whispered.

"I'm sorry I never spoke a word about it," Hermione said, her voice breaking. "I didn't want to lose my only friend in the world."

"I promise, I will never let another person bully you again, Hermione."

Holly reached over and wrapped her arms around Hermione, content that she at least had one friend. And this friend needed Holly just as much as Holly needed her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sirius

The morning came much too soon for him. He would have liked to have lain in bed just a bit longer. To watch his young lover sleep on her side, facing him. Her raven hair was loose and wild on her pillow, and her mouth opened slightly as she softly breathed.

Damn Molly Weasley and her prompt morning schedule. Then again, if not for her prompt schedule he and Holly would have to live in constant fear of being found out. Not as if their relationship was anything to be ashamed of. He and Holly had spoken at length on the topic.

This relationship was their own and they wanted to keep it that way until she finished her schooling. Now a celebrity because of her defeat of Lord Voldemort, she was constantly hounded by reporters of the Rita Skeeter breed. And not just British reporters, there were American, French, Spanish, Japanese- the list went on! Everyone wanted to know what the savior was doing and when, what she was eating and where, what she was wearing and who.

Behind closed doors in Grimmauld, they were safe from the flashing bulbs and inquiring minds of the nosy public. Well, slightly, because there was still the inquiring minds of the nosy people who lived in his childhood home. Not that he could resent them for staying because he did offer it to them. They were planning to leave as soon as the rebuilding of the Burrow was over.

He wished it was before the Hogwarts school year commenced tomorrow morning, but knew it would be at least another week. Oh well, those dirty little plans he and Holly had made to make love in every room of Grimmauld would have to be put on temporary hiatus.

"Love," Sirius whispered as he scooted closer to Holly. He kissed her ear and gently moved the hair out of her face. "It's time to wake up."

Holly wrinkled her nose and breathed in deeply. "No. Tell Mrs. Weasley to take a day off and go back to sleep."

He let out a bark of laughter that echoed off the walls of his childhood room. "I don't think we would be able to convince her. Besides, the household would starve without the woman. No one else can cook."

"I can cook for you, " Holly grumbled.

"Yes," Sirius grinned, "But would you like to get up now and begin breakfast for us at around shit o'clock in the morning?"

"Fuck that," Holly retorted.

Sirius laughed again. He watched as she sluggishly pulled herself out of his bed, naked as the day she born. He cringed at that thought, as he was actually present at her birth and put it far away from his thoughts as he too pulled himself out of the bed and followed her to his bathroom.

Holly had begun the shower and was slipping behind the curtain. He joined her a moment later after savoring the sight of the hot water cascading over her naked skin. Her pink nipples pebbled at the change of temperature. He could see the muscles of her toned tummy and thighs contract, shivering at the wonderful feel of the hot water. He couldn't help running soapy hands over the perfection that was so blatantly presented before him.

Sirius grabbed her wrists and guided her hands to rest on the tiled wall. He nudged a knee between her legs and entered her swiftly.

Their love-making was hard, jarring her body so much she nearly slipped a handful of times. Sirius pushed her suddenly into the cool tiled wall until she was flush against it. He then pushed his body flush against her back, never breaking the intimate connection they shared and began to rut into her with growling grunts.

"Oh," Holly said faintly after they had come down from their mutual orgasm. "You are wonderful. I'll just go back to bed now, thanks."

"No!" Sirius laughed. "You need to get your gorgeous self back to your own room before Mrs. Weasley gets there."

"Damn it, " Holly swore.

He helped her search for a towel and watched as she left quickly, her hair still dripping wet. Sirius followed her to the door and with a quick flick of his wand, cleaned the water she left in her wake to the way to her bedroom. He closed his bedroom door as soon as he heard the soft footsteps of Mrs. Weasley climbing the stairs.

Sirius went about the motions of cleaning his room of any evidence of Holly. If he knew Molly Weasley, and he did, no doubt she would be in his room at a convenient time he was not in his room, to collect his laundry and do her own version of cleaning. He put a little extra "umph" into his refreshing charms to clear the air.

The reason? Remus was coming back. He was coming back from following up with a multitude of werewolf pack leaders that were spread out through Europe and Wales. Mostly just friendly greetings to old friends. Sirius doubted Remus would want to join a pack. He was natural-born alpha male, no matter how he liked to portray his human demeanor to friends and family as calm and subdued. His senses were so heightened that Remus would be able to tell what exactly you had eaten a week earlier, no matter if Sirius had already digested and had a bowel movement.

Around 45 minutes, after dressing and refreshing the room once more, Sirius left his room for breakfast. He hoped Ron was still sleeping. That boy could put away a whole hippogriff if his mother decided to cook one. Good thing Buckbeak had been returned to Hagrid, or he would have been in the Shepard's pie months ago.

Coming up the stairs was his beautiful raven-haired, emerald-eyed lover. She was wearing a skirt that ended just before hers the same color as her eyes. Her top was black and form-fitting, barely covering her midriff. Her hair was braided and resting over her right shoulder.

Sirius tried to press a heated, but brief kiss to her lips and missed, to his disappointment. His kiss landed on the corner of her mouth.

"Remus is here," she said with an expression on her face he could not place.

Sirius was not sure if she was angry or concerned. A couple of steps behind Holly was Ginny Weasley.

"Good morning, Ginny."

The girl glanced at him with a worried expression. "Heh, morning, Sirius."

He watched them go up the stairs, presumably to Holly's room. Just as he was about to make his way to the basement where the kitchen was located, a very angry-looking werewolf exited the kitchen and headed straight his way.

"Remus!"

What Sirius received in response was a fist to the face.

"What the fuck?!" Sirius hissed, holding his mouth.

Remus grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the nearest room. With a swish and flick of his wand the room was locked and the a privacy charm was enacted.

"That's a bloody wonderful way to greet a friend, you prick," Sirius groaned.

"You perverted bastard," Remus growled. "What the bleeding hell possessed you to do this?"

"Do what?" Sirius was so confused.

"Fuck your god-daughter?!"

The blood completely drained from Sirius face as he gaped. Remus let out a rough unamused laugh.

"That face," the amber-eyed man spat out. "It's the same face Holly wore when I questioned why your scent was all over her."

Moving his hand away from his split bottom lip, Sirius sighed. "You're making this sound more devious than what it really is.."

Remus scoffed. "And how can this not be devious, Padfoot?! This is your god-daughter! The little girl who you swore to our best friend and his wife you would look after like your own child if anything happened to them!"

"She is not a little girl," Sirius pointed out quietly.

"Your right on that," the lycanthrope rolled his eyes. "She's not a little girl, your right. But she is still a seventeen year old teenager. An impressionable teenager! And you are a thirty-seven year old middle-aged man!"

"She's of age!" Sirius stressed. "It's not like what we're doing together is illegal! We love each other!"

The amber-eyed man let out a sarcastic laugh, throwing his head back.

"Love?! You both wouldn't know love if it bit you both on the arse," Remus spat out. "Holly has never experienced true love before. Those bastards she called relatives starved her of any form of affection and familial love from the first day she was dropped off in their care! I'm not surprised she latched on you when you came sniffing around.

"And you! Because of Azkaban your stunted at the mental age of twenty! And if I remember correctly, you always had a new flavor of the week back then. You would stick your dick into anything!"

"I'm not like that anymore!" Sirius shouted. "That person isn't me anymore!"

"Of course you're not," Remus retorted. "Azkaban made certain of that. You lost thirteen years of your life to that hell hole! And now you owe it to yourself to recover! We've had you sheltered for far too long. You need to get healthy, physically and mentally. You went straight into the Order mentality the moment you sprung yourself out of the joint!

"You owe it to yourself to recover," Remus repeated. "And Holly needs to recover to, doesn't she?"

Sirius stayed quiet as Remus spoke, his eyes looking suspiciously wet. He nodded, wincing at the twinge his split lip gave at the movement.

"After all she's done," Remus said softly in the silence of the room. "We owe it to her to allow her to live and experience the wonders of life. We owe it to her to discover what love really is."

"I-I can't," Sirius stuttered. He could feel himself being reeled in by Remus' persuasive words. He could feel himself giving up..letting her go. "I really do l-love her."

His friend stepped forward and placed both of his hands on Sirius' shoulders, squeezing them in support. "If you love her, you will give her this opportunity. And if this love is real, she will come back to you. Remember, she deserves to experience new things, interact with new people, make new friends."

Sirius nodded, a tear overflowing and slipping down his cheek. He allowed Remus to pull him into a hug and hold him tightly. Remus patted him on the back before letting him go.

"Good man. I should be off now."

"Where are off to now?" Sirius said with alarm, wiping at his eyes and his split lip. "You just got here!"

"Home," Remus said with a grimace. "I eh, got to get home to Teddy and er Tonks. But I'll be back tomorrow. Got to see the girls off bright and early for the train."

As soon as the door was opened the privacy charm deactivated. Remus walked out and closed the door behind him, leaving Sirius to his thoughts. Everything that Remus had said to him had been like a punch to face. Another punch to the face. But what he was saying was also true. Was it? He didn't know!

Sirius sat on drabby looking chair and fisted his hands in his hair. It was true. His mental growth had been stunted at the age of twenty. He did feel like a twenty year old man in an older body.

At that time of his life he was living off the substantial inheritance he had received from a favored Uncle, who had been as much of a Black sheep as Sirius had been. He had been verbally disowned by her parents, but never legally disowned, so rightfully the Black family responsibilities fell to him. He was now the head of the family as the only living male.

He would need to learn to balance his own finances and the finances of the Black family. He had hoped to grow and learn at the same pace as Holly, but Remus made him realise that probably was not best.

Holly was young, she had the time to take to learn her chosen profession. He was not. Everyone had been badgering her about joining the Auror program. The tabloids were counting down the days until she would be joining the Auror program this January first. But she wouldn't be. Holly wanted to be a healer. She had seen and done so much fighting in her life. She was through with fighting. She wanted to heal.

Four years of schooling was required to become a healer, followed by four years of internship. Was it right to hold her back? Holly was an incredibly smart and bright young woman. She could go to literally any school she wanted. She could intern at any magical hospital she wanted and did not have to limit herself to staying in the country just because he was here.

Holly could go places. Sirius could not. Sirius had a responsibility to the Black family name. Normally he would have said to fuck the Black family name, but then he would be forfeiting not only his money but the clout(1).

With the defeat of Voldemort there were many a crooked ministry member ousted out of their positions and at this moment there were more than a few that had been ousted from the Wizengamot. Sirius now held a seat, two in fact. The Black Family seat and the Potter Family seat, at least until Holly decided to take it back.

He had hoped to grow and learn with Holly at his side, helping and supporting him. But how could he ask her to be at his side when she had her dreams to follow? Would he be so selfish to believe that she would help him with his endeavors?

"No," Sirius answered his own questions.

He stood from the drabby looking chair and allowed his legs to guide him. He found himself walking to the top floor where his and Holly's bedrooms were located. He knocked as softly as he could. A small part of him wished that Holly was not in her room, but the door swung open a few moments later to reveal his beautiful lover's face. Hermione appeared behind Holly and side-stepped them to go downstairs.

"I'll leave you two alone then," she muttered loud enough for them to comprehend.

Sirius stepped slowly into the room until Holly had no choice but to back up. She turned and sat on the bed with a sigh as Sirius closed the door behind him. He leaned back against the door, his hand holding the knob. He wanted to bolt. He wanted to forget all about the conversation he had with Remus, but he knew the Remus himself would never allow him to forget it.

"What happened to your lip?" Holly asked in concern.

Sirius looked sheepish. "I walked into Moony's fist."

She snorted before they settled into a comfortable silence. It was silence to her, but Sirius could hear the loud" thump thump" of his heart beat and it was picking up speed. The silence lasted seconds.

"You were right about Ginny," Holly said softly.

He scoffed. "I told you so."

She glared. "How was I supposed to know? According to Hermione, she was like the good Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde. Nice to me and a bitch to everyone else..She practically outed us both out to Remus with the horrid way she was acting."

"That wouldn't have made any difference," he said. He gestured to his mouth, "He smelled me on you the moment you got near him."

Holly gasped and Sirius gave her a pointed look.

"He bloody dragged me into an empty room," Sirius said quietly. "And then Remus did what he does best."

"Which is?" Holly queried anxiously.

He shook his head. "Talk sense to make me see his version of reason..I-Merlin..Holly, I don't want you to be held back by me."

Holly's face went blank and she stood up in a flash. "What?"

"You have a promising career ahead of you," Sirius went on, his gaze on the hardwood floor. "I, however, am a middle-aged man who needs to get his shit together, apparently. Or at least that's the summary of what Remus said."

He ran a hand through his hair and cringed as Holly's blank face began to break. Her cheeks flushed a blotchy pink and her emerald-green eyes teared up.

"Are you..?" she bit her lip to hold in a gut wrenching sob. "A-are you breaking up with me?"

Sirius kicked the back of his bear foot against the door, a painful grimace on his face. "No!..I mean..Yes. I'm letting you go."

Her stomach muscles contracted in and she covered her mouth momentarily with her fist as the sudden feeling of nausea almost overwhelmed her. This wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to stay together. Forever, right? She would go on to be a renowned healer and he would just..do whatever it was he did in his spare time. But he would be here, waiting for her. He was always here, waiting for her. Why not this time?

"Why?" Holly asked, her anger beginning to take over her grief. "Why are doing this?! Did Remus tell you to break up with me?! He isn't your bloody mother, Sirius! How can you just let him do this? How can you just let him control you?!"

"Remus isn't controlling me!" Sirius retorted indignantly. "I'm doing this of my own free will! I'm doing this for your own good. He only made a couple of points that opened my eyes. You and I, we do love each other..But we both owe it to ourselves to grow. We need to grow up and experience life the way were supposed to.. I've missed thirteen years of my life and I need to take responsibility of the Black family investments and family members..

"You're going be neck-deep in your schooling for the foreseeable future. Between the two of us, there won't be time for us. The logical step is to..to break up."

"Logical?!" Holly practically wailed. "How could doing this be logical?! Bollocks!"

Sirius forward, intent on wrapping arms around her as she cried. Holly pushed him away from her with an indignant grunt.

"Get off me, you prick!"

"Holly! Don't be like this please! We can still be together in the future."

Sirius suddenly looked taken aback by the thunderous look that transformed on her face. He had a feeling that he may have said something wrong.

"So you still plan to give me a little pickle-tickle?!" Holly asked through gritted teeth. "Every now and then? Is that how you think this will happen?!"

He blanched, speechless.

"Get out!" Holly Demanded. "Better yet, stay! I'll go!"

Sirius was pushed from the door he had been unconsciously blocking. He let out a loud yelp when his foot hit a wooden dresser. She slammed the door behind her with so much force the mirror over her dresser and the few floral paintings on the walls vibrated. He as left now in the silence of his now ex-lover's bedroom.

He did the right thing, right?


	4. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was too much for her, she sees the only possible option is to get as far away from Grimmauld Place as possible.

Once again, Holly was thankful to have friends. Hermione, in particular. As soon as she had fled from her bedroom the first place she went to was Hermione's bedroom. The girl had packed her school trunk by hand. She was an incredibly gifted witch in most subjects, but when it came to household charms Hermione was confused.

She had practically launched herself into her best friend's arms and began bawling in the same instant. It had not even entered afternoon tea and so many things had gone down that left her in a tizzy. Her friend ship had ended with Ginny, and now her romantic relationship was over as well.

Holly had told Hermione everything that had happened from the moment Hermione had left her bedroom. Hermione listened intently without speaking a word, nodded when appropriately and said "that prick" when it was appreciated. God bless Dr. and Dr. Granger for birthing this beautiful woman.

Hermione had went up to her bedroom and packed Holly's things away on her own. She had then levitated the trunk down one floor to her bedroom and brought it to Holly herself.

"You're an angel sent down by the Gods," Holly praised tearfully. "Thank you, really. The last thing I want to do is see Sirius. I may hex his bollock off."

"I understand," Hermione said quietly. "Though, you may want to re-organize your trunk again. I had to use a household charm and everything is all crammed in there. I still can't figure out how to organise everything so..it's just one big pile. Sorry."

Holly shook her head. "That's okay. I can fix it later."

Hermione nodded and bit her lip. "I have a suggestion."

She had summoned a chair and sat down hard. "I had thought this for a couple of hours now. Maybe we should leave early."

Holly blinked and then smiled. "You mean, leave before tomorrow morning? That's brilliant. We can leave this afternoon. Merlin, when Mrs. Weasley finds out we're leaving early she'll have a dementer!"

Hermione smoothed out her mini skirt primly with a wry grin. "Who says we have to tell her?"

The green-eyed girl gasped in delight. "You smart little tart! Quick, help me organise my trunk!"

They both sprung into action immediately. The organization of Holly's trunk was done quickly. It was shrunk and shoved into her clutch. She shoved her bare feet into flats and waited for Hermione to finish shoving books into her moleskin purse.

"I do need them!" Hermione insisted. "I'm thinking we won't be back here for a good long time!"

By the time all their belongings were shrunken and stowed away in their pockets. They began to make their way downstairs. It was closing in on noon and the first person they had to run into was none other than Mrs. Weasley. The older woman had a content look upon her face as she levitated a laundry basket behind herself. Holly had instantly recognised the clothes belonging to Sirius.

"Hello, girls!" Mrs. Weasley greeted pleasantly, before she turned to Holly with a concerned look. "Holly dear, I was just in your room and there weren't a dirty clothing waiting for me by the door like usual."

Holly sighed. She had no problem with walking out of Grimmauld without meeting a single resident, otherwise she would not have been able to lie. Especially not to Mrs. Weasley. The woman who had shown more love to Holly every Christmas time with her hand knitted green sweaters then Petunia Dursley had ever done in Holly's whole life. Holly couldn't even count on both her hands and toes how many times she had wished that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been her parents.

She opened her mouth to explain, but Mrs. Weasley lifted a hand to stop her. The older woman continued on.

"So, I decided to search for them. And to my surprise I discovered there was not a single piece of clothing left in your dresser or wardrobe. No underclothes, socks and most definitely no shoes. Your beauty products and feminine products were also gone!"

"Well," Holly said slowly. "I can explain that Mrs. Weasley.."

"You're leaving," Mrs. Weasley stated with a sad look.

Holly blinked. "Erm y-yes, Ma'am... Why don't you look more..Angrier?"

"Because, dear," Mrs. Weasley explained calmly. "No matter how much I wish, no matter how much I have mothered you this past eight years..I'm not your biological mother. And though I do count myself as your mother-figure, you are of age. If I wasn't able to stop F-Fred and George from dropping out of Hogwarts to pursue their joke shop, I most certainly would not be able to stop you."

Holly's eyes filled with tears. She quickly swiped them away before they could fall and took a deep breath. Why was she crying again?! This had to be the third time today and it wasn't even afternoon tea!

"I love you, Mrs. Weasley," Holly was able to choke out without falling into a sobbing mess, "very much so."

Reaching out a gentle hand, Mrs. Weasley carressed her face with the back of her hand.

"I love you, too. Now, off with you. Before I change my mind. And you better owl. Frequently."

 

With the hood of her cloak placed securely over her head, Holly closed the front door of Grimmauld Place behind her. Hermione had already been waiting outside, looking nervously up and down the street. Holly knew exactly how she felt.

Even if the war was over and all the Death Eaters had been caught and imprisoned, there was still a feeling of anxiety. Anxiety of the unknown. And the anxiety had only shifted from Death Eaters to reporters.

"I was expecting her to put up more of a fight," Holly said in a low voice.

"Good thing she didn't," Hermione smiled. "Otherwise Mrs. Weasley's voice would have broken the sound barrier and alert every reporter magical and muggle to our location."

Holly laughed. They both clasped hands and Hermione apparated them away. They both screamed in fright as they fell in the middle of a cobbled stone street of Hogsmeade, and then they promptly began laughing hysterically. Hermione's clumsy apparation had landed her forward on her hands and knees, while Holly had fallen back on her bottom.

"Well," a familiar voice spoke loudly. "Would you look what we have here."

They both looked up at the impeccably dressed young man. Draco Malfoy's hair was loose around his ears, his robes were a black and silver ensemble with his tie being a green so dark it was almost black. There was a smile on his lips, and his eyes looked a soft grey. Draco's features were relaxed, joking even.

"Draco!" Hermione squealed with delight.

The chocolate haired girl pulled herself up from the ground and threw herself into the young man's arms. He caught her in his strong embrace. Hermione had put her whole body into her actions and Draco was still able to keep his position.

"Hullo, Mine," Draco greeted with a heated kiss.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the pet name Draco had given her. Holly smiled slightly at their show of affection. She had really never taken Draco Malfoy as being one to initiate public displays of affection. There was never an instant when he had shown PDA with his ex girlfriend Pansy. Thank goodness, no one wanted to see that pug mauling a man in public.

Holly pushed herself off of the ground, gathered her clutch and Hermione's moleskin purse. She approached them as slowly with a smile.

"Potter," Draco greeted with a mocking tilt of his head.

"Draco," Holly greeted back with the same tilt of her head.

All three of them laughed before they allowed Hermione to lead them down the cobbled street. They were led into the crowded Three Broomsticks. As soon as they entered heads turned and mouths gaped. The usual roar of voices and laughing dimmed slightly. Holly tried to not make any eye contact with anyone. She followed behind Hermione as Draco paused to allow her to walk in the door before him.

"This is pleasantly awkward," Draco said with a unfaised tone.

"Shush," Hermione admonished him.

As soon as they were sat at a booth the roar of voices rose back up to its usual volume. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the staring and head turning. Holly hunched over on one side of the booth while Draco and Hermione sat across from her.

"You would think they had never seen a scar before," Holly muttered with a weary look in her eye.

Draco snorted. "It's not the scar they're staring at, Potter. They are all wondering how a slip of a girl could have been the down fall of the Dark Lord."

"Many thanks," Holly said dryly, but smiled slightly as Hermione giggled at their antics.

Their "friendship" had not changed much from their younger years. Yes, they were less likely to throw jinxes at each other and their insults had little to no bite, but every one of their conversations almost always ended it sneering (on Draco's part) sarcasm. It had only been with the help of Hermione that Holly and Draco had become tentative friends.

Not even Holly speaking on behalf of Draco's parents to the Wizengamot was enough to warm him to her. Holly honestly was unfazed by it. Her mentality was that she could live her life with or without the friendship of one Draco Malfoy, but because of her friendship to Draco's girlfriend she had vowed to at least give it a try. Needless to say, Hermione acted as a buffer most of the time.

A waitress finally came by their table to take their orders, her starstruck eyes stayed glued to Holly, even when Draco and Hermione ordered their lunch. After completing the order the woman scurried away presumably to the kitchens.

"The upside to all this attention surely has to be the service," Draco commented while digging into his lunch. "Quite the speedy service."

Holly grunted. "Probably so she can get back behind the bar with her mates to continue gossiping about who knows what.."

"Well," Hermione murmured into her butterbeer as she peered toward the bar. "Your right about that."

Draco and Holly turned and peered at their waitress. The waitress was surrounded by four other girls in the same grey waitress robes of The Three Broomsticks. They giggled together with wide eyes and pinked cheeks, listening on as their waitress twittered on about something or the other.

"A bet a galleon on who the main topic of their conversation would be.."

Holly rolled her eyes before taking a bite of her corned beef sandwich. It was good, but not as good as Mrs. Weasley's homemade corned beef.

"That's not fair," Hermione remarked, her eyes returning to their lunch as well. "I mean, all three of us know exactly who they're talking about. I mean, come on, Draco.."

"Fool's bet," Holly commented as she gave Draco the stink eye.

The blond-haired male chuckled and he laid his hand over Hermione's on the table. Holly glanced away from their show of affection, her chest twinging. The last thing she had wanted to see today was a happy couple when her own relationship had just ended. As soon as she looked away her eyes were drawn to another couple, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. And of course, just a couple of tables away was a couple with their arms wrapped around each other.

Holly looked back to her sandwich with a sigh. All the happy couples were going to give her a migraine. She couldn't help but think that those happy couples would have been her and Sirius in a few years. If he hadn't of ended the relationship. Her lower lip trembled and Holly could now feel the welling of tears in her eyes. How dare that man make her cry!

"That prick."

"Excuse me," Draco raised his eyebrow in her direction. "What did I do?"

"Not you," Holly grumbled, wiping at her burning eyes. "I just broke up with my boyfriend..Actually, he broke up with me."

"No!" Draco gasped. "The dunce broke up with you?!..Do you snore?"

"No!" Holly exclaimed as Hermione snickered at the comment. "That's not even funny.."

"I'm sorry," apologised Hermione as soon as she smothered her laugher.

She slapped Draco's arm. "No joking, love. This is a serious situation.."

"Really, Hermione?!" Holly exclaimed again. "A serious situation?!"

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even realise I said that!"

The Slytherin among them looked between them in confusion. "Okay, I'm lost. Someone explain this situation to me. Now. I demand to be privy to the inside jokes of this situation."

Holly sighed as Hermione looked at her in question. She then shrugged at her bookworm friend and then stood up from the booth. Hermione immediately leaned sideways into her boyfriend and began to whisper so softly that not even Holly could here.

"Going to the lavatory," she grumbled.

Holly refrained from stomping the way to the lavatory. The roar of voices once more dimmed and multiple eyes followed her to the bathroom. She pushed open the door and was surprised to find it somewhat deserted. There was one girl at the sink washing her hands, there was a sort of scarf wrapped around her neck and it was partly covering the lower portion of her face.

She smiled at the unknown girl slightly and then stood in front of a sink. She washed her face and used a simple drying charm on her face. The girl staring back at her in the mirror almost looked unrecognisable from this morning. Her braided, jet black hair was still immaculate, but her face seemed a little too pale. Her emerald-green eyes looked tired, compared to this morning's shining emerald jewels as Sirius made love to her in his shower.

Holly cringed. She most certainly did not feel up to thinking about her now ex-lover. She could feel herself bottling her emotions into a tight ball. Holly really could not understand why Sirius had allowed Remus of all people to talk him out of their relationship. As far as Holly knew, Remus and Tonk's relationship was not going as smoothly as possible. Apparently, even with a newborn child, Remus was still fighting the relationship.

The knuckles on both of her fists were turning white. Her fists were clenching so hard she could feel her nails digging into her flesh. Oh, how she would like to get her hands on that man and given him a piece of her mind. Remus would have no idea what would have hit him.

"Are you alright, Holly?" the unknown girl asked.

Holly blinked, her fists loosening. The girl's voice sounded very familiar, almost like...

"Lavender?"

The scarf was slowly lowered and the lower half of Lavender Brown's face appeared. The white scars on her once pretty face were noticeable without the cover of the scarf. They were a horrific reminder to what Fenrir Greyback had done to her. And a reminder to what the horrible werewolf would have done to her if he had not been killed by Bill Weasley. With the way the girl's clothing had been ripped from her body, there was no doubt about what horrors the monster had in mind.

"Are you alright?" Lavender asked again, her voice was soft and almost a whisper. "You seem upset."

"I am upset," Holly admitted. "But I'll be okay, maybe..How are you, Lav?"

Her former Gryffindor room-mate smiled slightly, the white scars stretching, making her smile seem uncomfortable. "Alright, considering..just getting ready for the school year. Ron and I are just getting some last minutes things for me."

Holly's eyes widened. "What? Ron is here?"

Lavender froze. "Er, yes. Is that going to be a problem? A-aren't you both like family?"

Holly nodded. "Yep, his mother and father have acted as my parents since I got that first Weasley sweater at Christmas..But, eh..Draco is here with Hermione, so there might be a bit of a problem."

Wrapping her scarf around her neck a few times, Lavender raised it over her head and partially masked her face. She rushed out of the restroom and Holly was right on her heels behind her. Holly sucked in a breath as they both witness Draco and Ron nose to nose. Both Lavender and Holly could practically see the flames of hatred in their eyes.

Hermione was trying with all her weak muscled might to squeeze between them and give them at least a couple of feet of distance, but they both held their ground. She might as well have tried to push between two statues, it was almost comical. Holly would have to speak to Draco about getting Hermione on a routine because no matter how much those humongous, brick sized books weighed they were obviously not doing anything for her muscle tone.

"Won Won!" Lavender squeaked, fearfully.

Holly and Hermione both fought off grimaces. Lavender and Ron had been together since their fifth year at Hogwarts, and the pet names had begun almost immediately. Out of respect for their fellow, female Gryffindor - they all strived to keep straight faces.

"We should go, Ron!" Lavender begged, "Please?"

The youngest Weasley male sighed and nodded, his hand held out for his girlfriend. "Come on, we'll go to the Hog's Head."

"No!" Hermione interrupted suddenly. "We just leaving!"

She gave a meaningful stink eye at Draco. "We just finished our lunch and were on our way out!"

"Fine," Draco replied through clenched teeth. "Weasley."

"Malfoy," Ron answered thru his teeth.

"Bye Holly, see you later!" "Later, Potter!"

Holly waved with a sigh, "Bye, guys!"

She took her seat at the both. It looked as if the waitress had cleared out Draco's and Hermione's plates, while her's was still there half-finished with a freshly filled glass of pumpkin juice. Holly was relieved to see Ron and Lavender moving into her booth.

"Hope you don't mind if we join you," Ron grumbled. "We can't exactly ..match the pompous arse-ness of the arsehole."

Holly rolled her eyes and Lavender sighed.

"There's no such word as "arse-ness", Ronnie," Lavender's eyes lit up in amusement.

"Are you sure about that though, Ron?" Holly asked dryly, with a slight grin.

Ron glared. "I don't need to take this."

Holly rolled her eyes again. "Don't get your knickers in a twist! I'm only joking."

"She was only joking, Won Won!..Sit tight, I didn't finish my make-up."

Lavender giggled before she slipped out of the booth again. She smoothed out her robes and re-adjusted her scarf. Both Ron and Holly watched as she walked back to the restroom before they turned back to each other.

"You better not have said anything to her face about.." Ron stopped in the middle of his comment, allowing his glare to say everything else.

"Really?" Holly asked incredulously. "Me?! Have you ever heard me insult anyone in Gryffindor before?!"

"Well," Ron grumbled. "No. And I better not hear anything in the future, either. I get enough shit from Ginny and I don't need anymore shit from anyone else in my family."

She flashed a toothy grin his way. "Aww, Ron, is this your way of saying that you think I'm apart of your family?"

Ron grunted and the wattage of her smile became brighter. The waitress had made her way back and began taking Ron's order. After she walked away they resumed their conversation.

"What have you been up to lately?" Holly asked, "Other than helping George with the shop."

"Ehh," Ron grimaced. "Nothing exciting. Planning a vacation with George. He's thinking he might want to see the rest of Europe."

Ron watched as Holly took a long pull from her glass of ice-cold pumpkin juice before he said lowly. "But I hear your activities have been quite exciting.. What with sleeping with Sirius all Summer Holidays and all."

Holly did a spit take, drawing the attention toward her.


	5. Ruined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continued from the last chapter. Ron gets serious. Sirius finds Holly.

The was a knowing sparkle in Ron's eye that Holly could have sworn was very reminiscent of Dumbledore's own knowing 'eye sparkle'. As soon as her pumpkin juice had spewed from her lips over the table, a passing waitress cleaned it quickly with a swish of her wand.

"Thanks," Ron smiled at the waitress, who blushed and moved along to other customers.

Holly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with wide eyes. The youngest Weasley male was the last person she would have thought to know her secret relationship. Ex-relationship. Holly cringed.

"Who told you?" Holly asked in a rough whisper. "If George or Ginny told you I'm gunna -"

"No one told me!" Ron assured. "I found out on my own. Lets just say that someone should tell Remus and Sirius to check the room they decide to have a heated conversation in before they decide to start said heated conversation."

Holly gaped. "Wha-?"

Ron nodded. "I was in the toilet. If they would have come in a few seconds later they would have seen me get my naked arse out of bed to take a wee.-"

She them grimaced. "Too much information, Ronald."

"-Then to my surprise," Ron continued on. "As soon as I closed the door to the restroom, my bedroom door opened and those two muppets decided to barge in. I was about to walk out of the restroom and ask what the bloody hell was the big idea..but then I realised that I still had my man meat on display for the wizarding world to see-"

"Oh Merlin," Holly's slapped a hand over her mouth. She was feeling a little green at the unneccessary visual that Ron was giving to her.

"-So I decided to wait them out. And to my surprise, they began to row about you."

"Oh merlin," Holly repeated.

"Yep," Ron replied with a wry smile. "It was an interesting row, let me just say..Did he break up with you?"

Holly nodded, a frown marring her face. "Y-yeah. I uh..I think I'm still in shock."

"I'm sorry. I have to tell you though, if Remus were a sales man..I would have an igloo."

Holly gaped again. "An igloo? Like -like an Eskimo?"

"Yes." Ron deadpanned, "I'm not an Eskimo. That's how good he was at convincing Sirius to break up with you. And he fell for it like a niffler for dropped galleon."

She sighed. "I really don't want to talk about it. It-it just makes me a wee bit sick to my stomach thinking about it."

"I understand," Ron acquiesced. "I don't know what the bloody hell I would do with myself if Lav ever broke up with me."

"You must really love her," Holly said quietly. "I know that any other man would have just dropped the relationship altogether. Especially after what happened and her face. No offense meant, mate."

Holly watched as Ron began scratching at a water mark in the dark wood of the booth table. His face was blank and his bottom lip was between his teeth. For the first time that afternoon, she really looked at him. His dark red hair was tousled and he wore a maroon shirt under his black robes. For a redhead he was already pale, but he had bags under his eyes that lead her to believe that he was not getting as much sleep as he should.

"I do love her," Ron finally said. "But I thought about it. Don't get me wrong..I don't want you to think I'm some kind of arsehole who would drop a girl just cause some sadistic bastard a-attacked her and ..."

He bit down on his own fist. Holly could see his ears and cheeks reddening, not because he was embarrassed, but because he was holding back his anger. And his grief, Holly was coming to realise.

How could they, his family and she, not realise that the horrible tragedy that had befallen his girlfriend would not affect him? They should have noticed that something was wrong. But they weren't able to. How could they? Ron had acted his same old self, when all along he had bottled up his feelings.

"She was absolutely shattered," Ron breathed around his fist. "She wasn't the same again. I mean, obviously! Just take a look at her face. I aint no bloody saint, Holly. I thought about it. About leaving her in St Mungo's and just going home..But I couldn't. The way her face lit up every time I walked into her hospital room. The way she held my hand."

"You don't have to justify your thoughts to me, Ron," Holly assured, reaching over and squeezing the hand that was not in his mouth. "You love her. I'm not judging you, for Merlin's sake. I'm the last person who should."

"Sorry," Ron apologised. He looked sheepish. "I just..just needed to get it out. Theres no one who I can really talk to. I don't want to put any stress on George. Mum and Dad would just be..embarrasing. Ginny is a- uh.."

"Bitch," Holly offered, not sounding apologetic.

"Yeah," he nodded. "That and every time I tell her to lay off my girl she threatens me with a bat-bogey. There is something wrong with that girl."

Holly gave his hand a squeeze again. "Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to again, you can seek me out, Ron. What are family for, right?"

"What about me?"

They both froze in the booth as Lavender's soft voice washed over them. They turned to her simultaneously. Lavender's eyes were shiny and there were already tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Why can't you talk to me?"

Holly stood suddenly, fishing into her robes' pocket for a couple of galleons. She dropped a couple on the table before she made her way out of the door. There was no way that she was going to allow herself to be placed in the middle of that relationship drama. She had her own drama to deal with.

"This is my cue to leave," Holly muttered with wide eyes.

She quickly hurried down the cobble path toward the other shops. The crowd of Hogsmeade was sparse. There was less than a dozen witches and wizards walking about. No doubt they were residents. She knew that once the Hogsmeade visits were allowed the cobbled street would be teeming with students.

Above the shingled roofs of the few shops, the Towers of Hogwarts could be seen. Holly could already see Gryffindor Tower.

Holly smiled up at the tower. Her thoughts were filled with memories of the long trek up to the tower. The changing staircases, the trick step she always remembered to avoid..She was so deep into her thoughts that she had not seen the shaggy haired man who had stopped in her path until it was too late.

She gasped as she began to fall backwards. At the same time as she reached forward to grasp the tall man's shoulders, the man grasped her by the waist and steadied her.

"I am so sor-" Holly froze as she looked up into the grey eyes of Sirius Black.

Pushing away from him quickly, her gaze lowered to the cobbled street. She could feel the blood rushing her to her cheeks, her heart was beginning to beat faster and butterflies awakened as if by a hurricane. Normally, one would believe that it would have been in anticipation in seeing their lover or crush, and normally for Holly it would have been true, but now she was relating these feelings for negative reasons.

"What are you doing here?" Holly asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep her face as emotionless as possible.

Sirius stepped forward toward her, but Holly stepped back away from him. She noticed that his hands fisted immediately at her reaction.

"You weren't home," Sirius said softly. "I waited for you to come down for lunch but you never showed and when I asked about they said that you had gone. You and Hermione had just-"

"How could you think I was going to stay?!" Holly asked, finally looking up to meet his eyes. She was more than a little shocked, and angry to discover the depth of sadness in his watery grey eyes. How dare he be saddened! Especially since he was the one to break up with her!

"You just tore my heart in two, Sirius!" she said, her voice becoming shrill. "It was only just this morning! You broke up with me and now what?! You're expecting everything to just magically go back to the way things were before we started our relationship?!"

Sirius was silent, his watery grey eyes glued to her face. Holly knew that no matter how hard she was trying, it was becoming impossible to keep her face from breaking. Her eyes were burning as they filled with tears.

"That's not going to happen.." Holly choked out through her tears. "There's no way we can ever go back to just being god-daughter and godfather..There's no spell to change this."

Sirius bit his lip as his eyes also filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry!" he whispered fiercely, his voice breaking in despair. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

She turned away from him, unable to look him in the eye anymore. Just the sight of his handsome face, tempting her..It was too much. Holly had stared passionately into those gorgeous eyes, the eyes she had seen communicate what she had thought was unbreakable love. She had tasted those lips and Sirius had in turn worshiped her body with those lips. Just the thought of never having that again with this man was inconceivable. The thought of never again having this man in her life as her lover, her life partner, as her future spouse..

"I can't," she answered, just as fiercely. "I can't!"

Holly prayed to the gods that the world crack open and swallow her whole. A life without Sirius..Was that a life worth living? She didn't know. She didn't even want to imagine it.

"You have to understand, please," Sirius said to her, beseechingly.

"Stop, please!" she begged of him.

"This is for your own good.."

"Stop!"

"This was wrong to begin with.."

"Please!"

"I promised your mother and father I would take care of you.."

"Stop. Talking!"

"But I don't think this is what they meant.."

"Please!" Holly begged. "Just stop! Leave me alone!"

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

There was a red blur and then suddenly Sirius was no longer standing in front of her. Ron had appeared out of no where. Upon seeing a crying Holly, he had seen red. Like a bull his eyes pin-pointed to the man standing just a couple of feet in front of her. Ron had apparently tackled Sirius down to the cobbled street.

"Ron!" multiple voices yelled out.

Draco, Hermione and Lavender had also come out of no where. Draco dragged the red-haired young man off of Sirius. Ron struggled in his grasp, his face and ears almost matching the same maroon color Mrs. Weasley loved to use for his Christmas sweaters.

Hermione was immediately at Holly's side, pulling her into her arms. She allowed Holly to burrow into her embrace and sob away. Lavender raced to Ron and Draco. The girl placed her hands on her boyfriend's chest and looked pleadingly into his eyes. As soon as eye contact was made, Ron ceased his struggling.

"Gerroffme, Malfoy," Ron grumbled as he shrugged the Slytherin off of him to wrap his arms around his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Lav."

"What the hell is going on here?!" Hermione hissed in question.

"You wanna know what's going on here?!" Ron shouted, drawing attention from the few passersby.

"This prick -" he pointed to Sirius who was still on his back. The older man was now glaring at the youngest Weasley male with a hand trying to staunch the flow of blood from his now broken nose. "Was making her cry!"

Hermione looked toward Lavender, who nodded.

"She was crying," Lavender verified with a sad nod. "We came out of the Broomsticks and Holly was crying, asking him to leave her alone and well..Ron happened."

"This is none of anyone's business but our own!" Sirius said angrily as he pushed himself up off of the ground.

"When a woman asks a man to leave her alone, Cousin," Draco spoke up with a frown. "Especially a crying woman..You leave her the fuck alone."

"Shut up, you little death eater shit!" Sirius spat out. "No one asked you!"

Draco reeled back in shock, looking as if he had been slapped.

"How dare you!" Hermione hissed. "You loathsome-"

"STOP IT!"

They were all silenced as Holly stumbled from Hermione's arms toward Sirius. With all her might, she shoved him away. Sirius stumbled back a couple of feet and caught himself before he once more ended on his back. They all stared at Holly, stunned at her physical actions.

"Leave!" Holly begged, new tears beginning to run down her reddened cheeks. "Just please leave me alone."

"I'm so sorry," Sirius apologized. "I never thought I would hurt you this way. I never thought it would hurt this much."

He took one last look at her and then disapparated(?) away with a loud bang. Holly fell apart again. She began to sob in earnest as she was held close by Hermione once more. The pain of what Sirius had done was so immense, it was so hard to breath. The butterflies in her stomach were now swirling so violently that she flew out of Hermione's arms and ran toward the nearest alley which was on the side of the Three broomsticks. She began to throw up the entire corned beef sandwich she had just eaten.

Hermione was by her side the whole way, grabbing her braided hair and holding it back.

"There, there," Hermione whispered softly. "Let it out. Just let it all out, Luv."

The only thing that Holly was able to whisper back was the only thing that she was able to think of in that moment.

"He ruined me," she whispered. "He ruined me."


	6. Bewildered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the life of the healing Malfoy Family before they go back to Hogwarts. Vomit on McGonagall's shoes. Mrs. Weasley demands answers and decides to take matters into her own hands.

The last time Holly had been inside Malfoy Manor was when she and Hermione had been on the run. She had been forced to listen to Bellatrix Lestrange torture Hermione while in the Malfoy dungeon. Holly had sworn that she would never return to the wretched place, but here she was waking up inside one of the many bedroom suits beside a softly snoring Hermione.

"I also said my lover would forever be my only one," Holly muttered bitterly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "And now look where I am!"

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Hermione asked, sounding quite sleepy.

"I've gone off the deep end," Holly grumbled on her way to the bathroom. "But I call the shower first, Herms!"

Hermione groaned with a pillow over her face. "Noo!"

By the time both Hermione and Holly had showered and dressed properly, Draco was already banging on the bedroom door. The young man was dressed in his finest robes, while the girls were dressed in their muggle best. Which, of course, consisted of jeans, tennis shoes and t-shirts. Hermione's shirt had a cute cross-eyed kitten that was inquiring if it can 'haz' a cheeseburger. Holly's shirt was a plain black with a pocket.

Breakfast was an awkward affair. They were dining in a formal dining room with seating for forty. Lucius was at the head of the table, looking quite the shifty fellow, to Holly's opinion. Narcissa, Draco's mother, was seated on his left hand side with Holly sitting at her left. Draco was seated at Lucius right with Hermione at Draco's right.

The Breakfast itself was nice. Too nice. Too healthy. Was a spinach and egg-white omelet, with out the cheese, really an omelet? Holly didn't think so. She really would have preferred a complete English breakfast with extra tomato. She sighed and it echoed off walls of the French inspired dining room.

"Draco tells me you are pursuing a career in healing?" Narcissa suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Holly answered, quietly. Her eyes were darting here and there, taking in the obviously French inspired design of the ceiling and wainscoting. "Midwifery, to be exact."

"Fascinating," Lucius commented from behind The Daily Prophet.

The man sounded completely uncaring. Holly and Hermione blinked at each other while Draco rolled his eyes.

"We'll be off then," Draco drawled, rising from his seat and helping Hermione up.

Lucius stayed seated while Narcissa sat up, alert. Her eyes were wide and blinking in confusion. She was wringing the cloth napkin in her hands into a thin rope in anxiety.

"What?" Draco's mother asked. "But-but it's not even nine yet! You haven't finished your breakfast! I wanted to take you to the train!"

"Mother, please," Draco begged, looking quite exasperated. "I'm nearly nineteen. I'm not going to get on the train with the rest of the eleven year olds! We're flooing to The Three Broomsticks and then walking to Hogwarts before all the little bastards get there."

Holly snickered while Hermione rolled her eyes. Lucius finally deigned to peek out from above the Daily Prophet, watching them walk as fast as they were able to out of the dining room, which was not very fast at all as Narcissa was trying her best to talk Draco out of going to the Hogwarts early.

"Miss Granger," Narcissa's cheeks were now pinked and her lips seemed to thin out as she addressed Hermione.

Apparently, Hermione's blood status still seemed to irk the Malfoy matriarch. Or at least, that was the way it seemed. Holly tried not to assume too much, she knew perfectly well what was said and done when a person assumes. But then again, after spending all of her childhood with the Dursley family, Holly knew the look of a person who disliked her, and Narcissa Malfoy had that same look reserved for Hermione Granger. As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day. It would certainly take much more than the Summer holidays and the defeat of Voldemort for Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy to change forty-five years of "pureblood" ideals.

"Please, Miss Granger, is there really a need to be at the school this early in the morn? The last I had heard the welcoming feast did not begin until the very late evening! Surely, you three could stay a bit longer!"

Hermione bit her lip while Draco stared his mother down with a fond look.

"Well," Hermione squeaked, before she cleared her throat. "Actually, since we are technically a little older than the regular students and will not be following the regular Hogwarts schedule, all returning seventh years are going to be able to chose their schedules this morning."

Narcissa looked perturbed. "Why was I not informed of this? I received no owl!"

Draco sighed. "Since I'm over the age of seventeen the owl went to straight to me, Mother. Most of us have already completed most of the courses required to get a Hogwarts School diploma. I only have a semester's worth of Advanced Potions classes to complete before I am able to apply for an Apprentice course. I will only be required to attend these classes maybe..three times a week? I'm not quite sure."

Narcissa gaped while both Hermione and Holly nodded.

"I'll be finishing up the rest of my Charms and Transfiguration courses for my diploma," Hermione smiled, looking quite enthusiastic. "Afterward I'm going for a Mastery in Transfiguration and then Professor McGonagall will allow me to Apprentice under her. She's planning on retiring her teaching position in the next ten years to take on the Headmistress position full-time."

"Professor Granger," Holly teased with a sweet smile, before she turned to Draco's mother. "I'm going back for double Advanced Potions and double Advanced Charms. Finishing up my Potions classes will help me get my diploma, but it's also for me to qualify for my Healer and Midwifery Apprentice-ship. It's a four year apprenticeship that I would like to jump right into."

Narcissa had a watery glint in her eyes as she stepped forward to embrace her son. Draco blushed, but then composed himself. He wrapped his arms around his mother and returned the hug, kissing her cheek.

"When did you grow up to be such an accomplished young man?" Narcissa queried, quietly. "And how did I miss it?"

Hermione grabbed Holly 's hand and they made their way out of the dining room to leave the family to their tender moment. Draco looked grateful toward the retreating form of his girlfriend. As soon as the door closed behind them, Lucius appeared out from behind his newspaper.

"We were more than a little preoccupied these last couple of years, wife," Lucius commented quietly as he rubbed a hand over his tired and troubled face. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised our son was even able to concentrate on his academics."

Lucius smiled hesitantly toward his son. "Your mother and I are very proud of you, Draco."

"Thank you, sir," Draco said, returning the hesitant smile.

Things were slowly healing among the Malfoy family. It was in this moment that Draco knew they would be perfectly alright.

 

The trip to Hogsmeade was a short Floo trip away. The trio stopped by The Three Broomsticks for a more filling breakfast first. The pub and inn was empty despite a few other Hogwarts students.

Even Lavender Brown was in attendance for a quick breakfast. She had opted to sit with them instead of Parvati and her twin Padma, who was a Ravenclaw.

"Our friendship hasn't been the same," Lavender explained quietly. "I'm not the same, and I don't want to be the same. But Parvati does. She said she wanted to go back to how things before the battle. I don't want to. I can't... I don't know how to explain it."

Surprisingly, it was Hermione who had reached forward to pat Lavender's hand in comfort.

"I think you've explained it perfectly clear, Lav. And nobody faults you for changing. I'm actually quite surprised that any one of our year mates has stayed the same, emotionally or mentally."

The walk to the school was much more pleasant. All four houses bunched together and walking happily. Holly had gotten to speak to Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and surprisingly Blaise Zabini. All three young men were speaking civilly to each other.

"Holly," both Neville and Dean had greeted her happily.

Dean had looked remarkably the same, while Neville was entirely different. Of course, she had noticed the obvious change in the young man after the school had been infiltrated by death eaters last year. He bad been bruised and bloodied, but totally empowered. There was a different light in his eyes that Holly could not remember seeing in the six years she had schooled with him. The same light was bright in his eyes now.

He grinned at her, his chin held up high and his brown eyes sparkling bright. Holly returned the grin, but it faltered when her stomach turned suddenly. She reckoned her face looked a little green too. The was a strong alcoholic smell coming from all three of the young men that was not agreeing with her.

"Blimey," Neville chortled. "Didn't think seeing my ugly mug would make you sick."

Dean laughed loudly along with him while Blaise humorously grinned. Dean reached over and patted Neville's cheek, loudly and clumsily.

"How can anyone not love this beautiful mug, Nev?!" Dean crowed, drawing attention from their other year mates. "It's simply beauteous!"

There were more than a few laughs coming from all around them. Even Draco cracked a smile as he reached over to clap a hand on Blaise Zabini's back.

"A little too early for Ogden's Finest, don't you think, mate?" Draco asked with a grin.

Blaise returned the grin and nodded at Hermione in greeting. "I only had a wee sip in celebration of a happier year. Those two, on the other hand..."

They all turned to look toward Dean and Neville, both of whom stumbled forward, leaning on each as they walked. Hermione shook her head with a frown. This was simply unacceptable in her eyes and needless to say the frown was a permanent fixture on her face the rest of the walk to the Hogwarts doors.

And as soon as they all neared the school, a hush fell upon them. Everyone of them remembered their beloved school in absolute ruin. Walls blasted away and scorched, fire and blood. The serene and peaceful sight before them was almost startling. Gone were the blackened patches of grass and stone. Stone walls were replaced and repaired. The gates were pristine and undamaged.

It was as if the battle had never taken place and that simple thought made Holly's stomach do flips and spins. Bile rose up her throat and Holly sprung forward. The thought of the battle never taking place was horrible. It would mean that the fight against Voldemort was not over and that was simply too much for her to bare.

Everyone could see Professor McGonagall and the three other house heads were walking toward them in welcome. Holly and McGonagall met each other at the gate at the same time. Holly leaned a hand on the wrought iron, her body bowing forward as the bile forced it's way out of her throat... and onto Professor McGonagall's shoes.

"Welcome ba- MS. POTTER!"

Holly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she looked up into the exasperated eyes of her head of house. She grinned a sheepish smile that McGonagall had seen many times on the face of James Potter.

"Sorry.."

 

Sirius

It had been quite sometime since Sirius had seen or heard of Holly. A month, to be exact. He had made frequent trips out of Grimmauld to the ministry, Diagon Alley, Gringotts. Being the sole heir and Head of his family was tiring, but he was putting his entire being into task. His first order of business was to welcome his favorite cousin Andromeda back into the family, and by extension, her husband and daughter and grandson.

The Weasleys had returned to their beloved Burrow, but Mrs. Weasley popped in now and again to drop him off breakfast, lunch and supper. Sirius was grateful, he could burn water after all. Each and every time Molly had come Sirius would ask her the same question.

"Have you heard anything about Holly?"

Her answer was always no, but it was slowly being accompanied with a suspicious glint in her eye. Sirius should have been a little more subtle in his questioning, because the next time she came over she had double the amount of food she would normally bring. She had walked past him to the kitchen and began arranging plates for two.

"Er, what are you doing?"

Molly stopped and gave him a bland look. "What does it look like I'm doing, Sirius? I'm going to be sharing a meal with you."

Sirius blinked and then sat at the table, watching as she began to serve him and then herself. "But what about Arthur and the kids?"

"Arthur is going to be working late," Molly explained as she sat down and tucked in. "And the kids, as you feel the need to call them, are all mostly grown up. Ginny is at Hogwarts and all the others either live on their own or are working. I find myself mostly on my own, most days. So, I decided to join you."

"Er, alright," Sirius murmured as he too tucked in.

They ate in silence. They spoke no words to each other and the only sound that could be heard were the sounds of forks and knives scrapping against the plates they were eating upon. Molly sighed a couple of times before she slammed her knife and fork down. Sirius visibly startled and grunted.

"Are you alright?"

"No!" Molly snapped. "I'm not. And you're obviously not alright either!"

"Excuse me?" Sirius frowned, looking thoroughly offended.

"Just tell me!"

"Tell you what, woman?" Sirius asked, now looking dumbfounded.

"Don't play dumb with me, Sirius Black!" Molly reprimanded. She was now waving her wand at him sternly. "I have hexed my children for less!"

The first thought that came to Sirius' mind was 'oh shit!' His eyes followed the tip of the wand that Molly Weasley was waving at him sternly and his adams apple bobbed as he swallowed. He was worried about the way that she was waving it. This was the same wand that cut down his cousin Bellatrix.

"I'm worried about you, Sirius Black," Molly began to explain. "Everyday that I have come to bring your meals you have asked me the same question. Breakfast, lunch and dinner you have wanted to know if I had news on Holly. What I want to know is why you two have stopped speaking!"

Sirius swallowed again and scrambled for an answer. "What makes you think we've stopped talking?"

Sparks flew from the tip of her wand and missed him by inches. "Don't you try to bullshit me, Sirius Black! If you two were talking then you wouldn't be asking everyday!"

"Okay," Sirius admitted. "We're not talking... We haven't talked since she and Hermione had abruptly left a month ago."

"Why?"

He snapped his mouth shut. Sirius' eyes were wide as Molly waited for him to answer. It was there on his tongue. Sirius was tired of keeping it to himself. The only other person who he was able to speak to was Remus and he was the last person who he really wanted to see at the moment. Remus was the reason he was in this predicament. But he was also man enough to say that it was his fault as well. Remus may have talked his own version of sense into his mind, but Sirius was the one to take the initiative to ruin his relationship and break Holly's heart. So he let it out.

Like word vomit.

He could almost hear Holly's voice in his head. Rolling her eyes, she would say, "so like you to do so, Sirius. So like you to do so.."

The words came out so loud and fast that Molly fought to understand. Oh, but she did. She was speechless. Her mouth was gaping, opening and closing like a fish as her mind struggled to actually absorb what he had told her.

How had she not known? The signs had to have been right in front of their faces and she and her husband had not noticed. Or maybe they had, but they had never thought that it was because Holly and Sirius were in a romantic relationship! A red-hot emotion began to overtake her. It started from her toes and went up to her head. Anger, oh yes, this was red-hot anger. She wanted to curse Sirius Black to oblivion, beyond and back.

And just like that, the anger was gone. She deflated and slumped in her seat. What was she to do about it really? No matter how much she wished it were true, she was not the mother of Holly Potter. In fact, even if she were, Holly was legally an adult. And besides, if she wanted to be truthful, stranger relationships had happened in the wizarding world. It was no secret that the most staunchest of pure blood supremacist believed in incest to keep their lines 'pure'. Not to mention the 'mixed' relationships that gave birth to different half creature children, like Hagrid, for instance. Merlin, her eldest is married to a half Veela!

"Oh," she was able to muster out, after a few moments of thinking.

"Yeah," Sirius responded, lamely.

Then, the red-hot anger was back.

"Sirius Black!"

Sirius sat up tall and froze at the ice in her voice. He was fish eyed as he watched her face turn the signature Weasley red.

"How could you just break up with her!?" Molly raged. "How could you allow Remus' feelings to completely overpower your own for that sweet, sweet girl!?"

"I-I don't know!" He stammered out. "Ever since we were in Hogwarts he was always able to do that!"

"And what are you going to do about this?!" Molly asked, her voice stern once again. "Are you going to try to get your relationship back, or are you going to just sit here like a bump on a log?!"

Sirius was bewildered again, this time by Molly Weasley's yo-yo-like emotions.

"She told me to leave her alone! She was crying! I made a bloody fool of myself in Hogsmeade!"

Molly suddenly stood. With a flick of her wand she summoned parchment, quill and ink.

"Well then," Molly muttered, giving the still bewildered Sirius a withering glare. "Once again, it's up to me to salvage things. Meh, men."

She scribbled furiously for a few moments on the parchment before signing it with a flourish and a grin. Molly folded it neatly and stuffed it into her pocket before summoning the rest of her things.

"Well, I'm off then," she announced. "I'm going to send this off via owl post and then we'll go from there, dear. I'll be back tomorrow bright and early with breakfast. Don't forget to leave your dirty clothing out for Kreacher. He's getting up there in age, after all, he can barely do the cooking as it is."

Sirius followed her out the kitchen and to the living area, where she was already walking through the floo with a roar of green flames. He gaped at the fire and blinked.

"What the hell just happened!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always have fun writing a sassy and bossy Mrs. Weasley. The Malfoys were fun to write too, so posh-ly (is that a word?) snobby!


	7. Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly is depressed. Holly confronts Remus. Holly and Molly (I never realized their names were SOOO similar!) meet.

Routine was what kept her going. She would get up at 6:30AM, shower, dress, eat breakfast at The Three Broomsticks and be off to her classes. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Holly was just grateful that she only had classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends were all for her own personal use.

Since McGonagall had specified that there was no need for the returning seventh year students to stay at the castle, she had opted to rent an apartment in Hogsmeade. There was a cozy little cottage not far from Hogsmeade's main street with three bedrooms that Holly, Hermione and Lavender were now officially renting. And, of course, there was also their unofficial fourth flat mate, Draco Malfoy. But he was there only every other day, no doubt he stayed at Malfoy Manor every other day to satisfy his mother.

Holly had struggled to fill the days that were for her own personal use. It was extraordinarily easy for her to sleep those days away. It seemed that on most nights it was easy to escape reality in her dreams, but then there were the dreams that haunted her to no end. There were dreams of waking beside her ex-lover, making love in various positions, various locations and she was so happy. And then she would wake up to an empty bed and feel the cold loneliness deep in the pit of her being, tears falling from her eyes.

But the nightmares were the worst. She theorized that maybe viewing the untouched look of the castle had been the catalyst for her nightmares. They were all the same though, she would be back in the middle of the war, Voldemort still alive, all of her near and dear friends dead all around her. She would wake in cold sweats and then stumble to the toilet before she spewed on the floor. Anyone of her roommates would wake and hold her hair back as she sobbed, hugging the porcelain of the commode. Hell, even Draco had held her hair back. According to Hermione, she had been so hysterical one night that she had cried herself to sleep in his lap, her entire front covered in vomit. Draco had kept his demeanor calm and rubbed her back soothingly. Once she had fallen asleep, he had used a hair tie from Hermione to tie her hair back in a pony tail, charmed her clean and then carried her to bed.

Holly had never been more embarrassed. She had apologized profusely to Draco, who waved her off and then gave her a surprisingly tender kiss to her brow, that brought tears to her eyes just by thinking about it.

"I don't know what's going on with you, Potter," he had told her softly, stooping just low enough to lock his grey eyes with her emerald-green. "But your worrying Hermione, which in turn troubles me. These nightmares are becoming a nightly occurence, and quite frankly I don't blame you for having them. What we have all been through and have seen is enough to bring any man to night terrors. But I would recommend finding something to occupy your thoughts."

Her bottom lip trembled. "What would you recommend exactly?"

"How about volunteer work?" Lavender had suggested, hesitantly. "I actually asked Madame Pomfrey if she needed any help in the hospital wing and she was grateful. I work a couple of hours everyday with her. I'm sure she would love your extra hand, as well. The more the merrier. And this could also be counted on our resumes."

So here she was, volunteering on the days that were supposed to be for her own personal use. She felt a bit irritated about it, but at the same time, she felt a satisfied and accomplished feeling at leaving the hospital wing every evening.

Both Lavender and Holly were in the back storage room where Madame Pomfrey kept all potions. They were logging and taking inventory, determining which potions Professor Slughorn would make first.

"Quidditch is coming up," Holly muttered beside Lavender. "Skele-grow is going to be essential."

"No doubt," Lavender mused, chewing on the end of her quill. "Pepper-up is low. Fall is coming and all the children will probably need them."

"Hell," Holly swore, sitting down on a stool and groaning. "I need one now. I feel like total shit."

Lavender frowned at her. "You've been feeling like that for quite some time, haven't you?"

Holly nodded.

"Hermione and I have been talking about it," said Lavender, softly. "It can't be the flu, otherwise you would have been worse off and over it by now...Maybe it's stress?"

Holly but on her bottom lip and looked down on her hands. "No, it's not stress. I know for certain, it's not stress."

"Oh?" Lavender asked faintly as she squinted at the shelves and back to the clipboard that was in front of her.

"I wanted to wait until I had all of you together to tell you," Holly said, her bottom lip still between her teeth. "Preferably with Ron secured by chains."

Lavender turned and frowned at her for a second time, this time in concern. "Are you alright? It's nothing serious, is it?"

It was Holly's turn to frown and she fisted her hands in anger. Oh, it was serious. Sirius, to be exact! This was something that was going to affect her whole life. Not that she was scared...alright, maybe a little. This was also something she never saw herself doing alone.

"Well," Lavender commented while counting down a few grey colored and sealed draughts. "At least Professor Lupin doesn't have to worry about us running out of Wolf's Bane potion for a couple of months yet. We have plenty."

Holly suddenly stood. Her own clipboard and quill fell to the floor. Remus Lupin was here. He was here and she had absolute no idea for a whole month. The man who had ruined her relationship was here.

And before she knew it, she decided that she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

She walked away from a puzzled Lavender who called to her. Her steps echoed off of the stone walls as she made herself up the moving stair cases. She hopped from one stair case to another quickly, barely missing a few that were just about to disconnect from one landing to another. Her breathing was picking up and she could feel her heart pounding fast in her chest. The blood was rushing faster and faster through her veins and she could vaguely hear the roar of it in her ears.

And there he was, walking out of his classroom. As soon as he saw her his face lit up with a smile and he raised his hand in greeting. It quickly dropped as Holly raised her hand and slapped him right across the face. She raised it again, but Lupin snatched her wrist and dragged her into his classroom. She wrenched her hand away from him and began to beat him with her fists. She hit him anywhere she was able to reach, forgetting the wand in her pocket.

"Stop!" he shouted, grabbed her arms and shaking her, hard. "Stop it! What the bloody hell is the matter with you?!"

"Why?!" Holly shouted back to him. "Why did you do it?!"

Lupin shook her again. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?!"

"You know what I'm talking about, you bastard! You made him do it! You made Sirius break up with me!"

"I made him see reason, you little twit!" he growled in her face. "You're just a girl! And he is a full-grown man nearing forty! He had no business being with you!"

"That was none of your business!" Holly growled back, trying to jerk herself away from him. "It was between me and him! I am an adult! It was my decision and I was the one to pursue him first! I wanted him! I loved him! I love him!..."

She suddenly burst into tears. "I love him so much it's killing me! I can barely sleep without him. He was the reason why I was coping so well after the battle! Now I can barely take a bloody nap without dreaming that Voldemort is still alive and killing my friends! I need him, I want him!

"How could you -?!" she gasped as her knees gave out on her.

Lupin rushed forward to wrap his arms around her and brought her back to her feet before she hit the ground. Her head fell forward on his chest and Lupin allowed her to sob against him. Holly's hands fisted in his worn robes and she on to him tightly as her sobs began to quiet. With one hand, he pet her long and silky black hair.

"I'm sorry," he finally apologized, his eyes wide and filled with alarm. "I-I didn't know this was how you truly felt about him...but I had wanted to -to.."

Holly sniffed and lifted her head. "You wanted to wha -?"

Before she could finish that last word of her question, warm and wet lips suddenly covered her own. Her eyes widened as she realized what exactly was happening. Lupin, no, Remus was kissing her. His tongue dipped into her already parted mouth and ...and..

Her eyes dilated and closed shut as she began to return his advances. She felt his hand run down the small of her back and to her bottom, reaching down low to feel at her moistening sex from behind. Holly gasped into his mouth as he rubbed his fingers against her, feeling her through her robes. She went almost in a frenzy at the feeling.

It had been so long since she had felt this. The heat, the firmness of a man against her. His arms were strong, stronger than her as they held her close. Holly returned his kiss with a fierceness that suddenly blazed inside her like a wildfire. Her hands roamed his body, feeling his firm chest and shoulders desperately.

Both of his hands suddenly found the back of her thighs and lifted. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist and Holly found herself placed down on a hard surface. Remus broke the kiss and reached behind her to sweep everything off of his desk with one strong arm.

Holly watched him, her mouth swollen from their furious kissing, gasping for breath. She watched Remus shrug off his outer robes and begin unbuttoning his vest in a frantic and excited manor. As she watched all of this happening, her senses were slowly coming back to her. This was Remus! He was Sirius' best friend and he was married to Tonks!

This was wrong on so many levels!

As he came toward her Holly slid down off of the desk and placed her hands onto his now bare chest. The heat sent shivers of want down her spine and to her moist womanly center. Remus was leaning down to catch her lips but she shook her head.

"No," she whispered, her eyes squeezing shut. She was afraid if she continued to look upon his bear chest that she would give in. "I'm sorry, but we can't do this!"

Before Remus could object to anything, Holly moved away from him and was out the door in a flash.

 

Molly Weasley slowly sipped her tea as she waited at a small, two person table in The Leakey Cauldron. She watched the hustle and bustle of all the people coming and going with a content smile.

Everything was different now. It was subtle, but Molly was easy to see the signs. People were more content. They were relaxed and less cautious than when the threat of Voldemort had been prevalent. The worried expressions, the suspicious looks, the general scared expressions; they were all gone for good.

The fireplace roared to life and a young woman in a bottle green cloak slid out. She was able to keep her balance and slide into the pub and inn on her two feet. Her hood was up over her head and her emerald-green eyes looked about the tables, searching. Once they landed on Molly they brightened and the young woman immediately made her way over.

Molly's brightened as well, her smile widening to a pleased grin, and she stood from her seat to embrace the young woman, whom entered her arms without hesitation. Molly's smile left her face as she felt the wetness against her shoulder.

"Oh, my dear," Molly said softly as she gently pushed away the young woman to get a look at her face. "Whatever is the matter?!"

"I'm sorry," Holly apologized as they sat at the small table. "I'm being stupid is all."

Molly patted her hand affectionately. "Tell me what's wrong, dear. I'm sure it's not as stupid as you believe it to be."

Holly sniffed and looked down as the cup and saucer Molly placed before her. The waitress came and conveniently gave them a little time for the girl to gather her senses together. As Molly took a look at the girl, she noticed her wet cheeks and slightly red eyes. No doubt Holly had cried for a short time before she had arrived to meet her for afternoon tea. She watched as the usually bright-eyed girl ordered a hearty chicken soup with a lemonade. Molly ordered the shepard's pie and another pot of tea.

"Please," Holly quietly begged, after take a sip of her tea. "Please, don't judge me too harshly..I-"

Her voice broke and Molly reached forward to hold the girl's hand. The older woman leaned forward with wide eyes and set her tea-cup down onto its matching floral saucer. She watched as the girl tried to wipe her eyes as discreetly as possible.

"-I don't think I would be able to bear it, if it came from you."

Molly squeezed her hand. "I would never judge you! You or any of my other children!"

Holly returned the squeezed and sniffled. She took a couple of breaths before she spoke, holding Molly's hand tightly.

"Something happened earlier this year," she said softly, wiping her eyes with a cloth napkin. "I fell in love."

Molly sighed and offered her an expectant smile."Yes, dear, go on.."

"And then he broke up with me!" A fresh sob bubbled up from within, along with a few tears. "He broke up with me on the same day Hermione and I left for Hogwarts on our own..

"He told me it was for my own good," Holly explained on. "And I was so angry. I didn't understand what he was trying to explain. I thought maybe he didn't love me anymore."

Molly was still looking at her expectantly. "And what was that, dear? What was he trying to explain to you?"

"He wanted me to experience the world. I admit it, I'm young, younger than him certainly. My view of the world is and was extremely limited. I suppose because of who I am. It took me a while to see, but I realize now that Dumbledore and all the other adults in my life had greatly coddled me. I was so naïve. I still am in many ways.. But I think I know how I feel about him. I love him. I still do, no matter how much I dislike what he did to me. And I forgive him."

The older, red-haired woman nodded. "That's wonderful! Will you be pursuing the idea of going after him?"

"I honestly didn't know, at first," Holly admitted quietly as she stared down at her tea-cup.

Molly's face fell. How would she be able to look Sirius in the eye and tell him that Holly was no longer thinking of being with him? Did Sirius really ruin it?

"I was going to listen to him," She sniffled. "After he broke it off with me, I honestly lost all enthusiasm in seeking my healing degree. I'm really just finishing the program to satisfy Hermione, now. Boy, will she be disappointed when she found out I was not looking into going into an internship, but going back-packing in France."

All color left Molly's face and her eyes widened. She reached a trembling hand for her tea-cup. It shook as she took a sip. She could only imagine the look on Sirius' face when he was given the news of Holly planning on going off on her own with only the clothes on her back. And to France of all places. Yes, it took some time to get used to her French daughter in law, whom she found to be quite a pleasant and sweet young woman, but she had also heard many a conversation between Fleur and Ginny. Talk of the beautiful scenery, the incredibly handsome men, and the topless and nude beaches.

"I thought maybe I could endure a fling here or there. Something meaningless."

Sirius would be devastated, Molly was certain.

"But then something happened," Holly sighed and looked down at her lap.

"What?" Molly asked.

"I kissed another man."

"No!" Molly gaped. "Darling, who? Are-are you in love with this other man?"

Holly shook her head."Oh, heavens no! We were arguing and I was just so angry and in the heat of the moment we..we kissed."

The young woman looked to Molly once more, her green eyes shining. "I began a relationship with Sirius at the beginning of the Summer Holidays. He broke up with me the day before school started because Remus talked him into it...Earlier today I kissed Remus."

"Remus?!"

Holly nodded. "He was the reason why Sirius broke up with me in the first place. I confronted him and everything just escalated so fast.."

"Oh, dear," Molly murmered into her hand. "And he's married to Tonks, isn't he? The poor dear will be devastated."

"I feel like scum," Holly admitted, an awful feeling bubbling at the bottom of her stomach. "I mean, he did kiss me first.. But I also kissed him back. A married man! I never thought I would ever be in this kind of position."

She sighed. "I suppose I should thank him, too. It was that kiss that made me realise that I don't want to go on and have other relationship experiences with other men. I mean, the kiss was nice and it had been quite some time since I had experienced that kind of desperate passion.. But I don't want to have it with anyone else but Sirius. Especially since I'm.."

Molly was quiet as she listened to Holly talk. Her eyes widened and she pressed both of her hands palm down on the table, and leaned forward in anticipation.

"I'm pregnant."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I so would have loved for Remus and Holly to have had raunchy classroom desk sex...but unfortunately MUSE!Holly wouldn't let me..


	8. Positive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly tells her friends. Flash back to the past. Holly reaches out to Sirius.

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh," Hermione uttered before she refilled her teacup. Her voice was soft and her motions were smooth. It was as if she had just heard an announcement of the day's weather through the Wizarding Wireless. "I'll murder the man..."

Holly cringed. "Please don't. I would rather my child not be fatherless."

"The least that buffoon could have done was apply a contraception charm.."

Holly cringed again. "The both of us could have. It honestly never came to mind when we.. you know."

Draco scoffed from his spot on the love seat. "I will have you know, Potter, that Hermione never forgets the damn contraception charm. And she best remember it, too. No way in a pauper's hell am I going to stick my dick in those latex muggle monstrosities.."

There was silence after that announcement. Hermione was pink cheeked. Ron was steadily turning to the shade of a radish. Holly had no doubt that steam would suddenly come out of his ears. Lavender was using both of her hands to sooth the young man, or at least keep him from blowing his top. His mouth would open as if he was about to talk, but then it would snap shut. He was reminiscent of a fish out of water.

"Well," Lavender said quietly, "I uh, I'm sorry... I mean, congratulations... I'm sorry! I mean... not about the situation, or maybe a little, but I'm happy for you if you are too!... I just- I don't' know what to say... I mean, our feelings about this really don't matter, do they?"

Draco rolled his eyes, while Hermione was began to look quite angry. Ron on the other hand was looking as if his own anger was finally deflating. He was taking slow calming breaths and his eyes were locked on the beige of the carpet floor.

"How can you say that, Lavender?!" Hermione asked. "We're her friends! Of course our feelings matter to her! In any situation!"

"She's right, Mine," Draco said softly, laying a calming hand atop his girlfriend's. "We have no say in this situation. This is her body. Her baby. This is all up to Potter on what she wants to do in this situation. What route she wants to go down is her business. What she needs is our support."

"Well, she's going to continue her education," Hermione went on to say, quite loudly and sounding so much so as her 12-year-old self had once sounded. "It's obvious, Draco! Of course, if she wants to keep the baby there are many a care facility just a floo away!"

Holly's eye twitched. "Hermione..."

"She's so young though!" Hermione huffed in exasperation. "A teen mum! I never thought I would know one, let alone be best girl friends with one. This situation is so going to mess up your career plans, Holly. We should start looking into a children's care center immediately!"

"Hermione, please stop.."

"And we should also start researching into how exactly you would be able to get all your work done.. I mean, heavens, I've seen pregnant women get so massive they aren't even able to walk without their ankles turning to cankles.."

"I'm not going back to school, Hermione!" Holly stamped her shoe angrily. "And I'm not getting cankles!"

"What?!" Hermione asked, outraged. "How can you not continue your education?! How are you going to support your situation?"

"Okay," Holly took a deep breath. "First off, stop calling it a situation. It's a baby, Hermione! And it's mine. And as to how I'm going to support it? That will be fairly easy considering how well off I am. I mean, blimey, I could live a couple dozen wizarding life spans on the inheritance my parents left me!"

Hermione paled and her eyes began to water. "So you're just going to live your life off of your parent's money and do nothing?! What kind of life will that be?!"

"I'm not going to be doing nothing, Hermione!" Holly exclaimed. "I'm going to be devoting my entire being into my baby! My child!

"I am so disappointed in you!"

Hermione gasped as those words came from her best friend's mouth.

"You of all people know how badly my aunt and uncle had treated me.. The awful things they said and did to me! And now here you are, talking about my baby as if.. as if it was some thing to throw away! Almost the same way the Dursley's used to threaten me to my face!"

Hermione paled. "No, I would never -"

"But you did," Holly interjected quickly. "I know you didn't mean it, but you did say it."

Ron stood from his seat suddenly and left the room. They head the front door open and then it closed with a slam. Lavender gave them all an apologetic look before she gathered her things and quickly followed after him. They all heard the door open for a second time, Lavender call out to Ron and then the door close behind her.

Hermione began to stammer. "Holly, I - I'm so sorry! I didn't realize I was acting in such a way.."

Holly sighed and turned away from the couple. "S'okay, Hermione. I understand you were only trying to look out for me, but like I said before, I'm not the only one that needs to be considered now. There's a baby involved now.

"The Dursley family treated me like utter shit. From the moment they were forced to take me in I was a stain on their perfectly mundane standing in the neighborhood. From the moment I was strong enough to hold my own I became their servant, their house-elf. I was shown no kindness, no love... It's a wonder I didn't turn into some bitter, cold-hearted bitch. Hell, I had the same kind of up bringing as Tom Riddle, and look what it turned him into.

"There is no way that I would treat my child the same way. I know that in this moment, you won't be able to comprehend how I feel, Hermione, but when I found out.. I was so over come with emotion. I was so scared in that moment, but then this title wave of emotion suddenly over came me. This feeling is so hard for me to describe... But I think, no, I know that this feeling is motherly... It was like wonder, awe, worship, joy and love mixed together."

Holly turned back to them and froze. Draco was still seated and with the same Malfoy indifference on his face, as always. Hermione though, had stood while her back had been turned. Fat drops of tears had fallen from her widened eyes.

"You're happy?" Hermione sniffed.

Holly was barely able to hold in her emotion, she let loose a small sob and bit her lip. "I- I'm so happy!"

Both girls lunged for each other immediately. Their arms held each other tightly has the emotions in them both burst forward. As soon as Hermione heard Holly's sobs and felt her tears on her shoulder, she let loose her own sobs.

"Merlin, the pregnancy hormones have begun!" Draco grumbled as he pulled himself out of his seat, snatched the tea-pot from the table. "You need a bloody house-elf because I am damn tired of making my own!"

 

*3 weeks earlier*

"That'll be 3 galleons even."

Holly dug into her money pouch. She slapped out the 3 galleons onto the counter before she grabbed her paper bag wrapped buy and fled the apothocary. Making sure her hood was up, Holly wrapped her cloak around herself further and briskly began the incredibly short walk back to the three bedroom Hogsmeade cottage she shared with Hermione and Lavender(and Ron and Draco..).

She kept her head down and wrapped her arms around her middle. One hand was grasping tightly at the brown paper bag and the other was pressed directly over her lower abdomen. There was a ball of emotion inflating and caught in her throat that she quickly swallowed down. A fat tear fell from her eyes and she wiped it away quickly with her empty hand before placing it right back to her abdomen.

As soon as she was inside the cottage the door was locked behind her with a simple twitch of her wand. The same was done with her bedroom door. It was latched closed and then a chair was placed under the door knob, just in case Hermione would become her nosy self and try to magically unlock the door. She undressed until she was only in a bra and panties set and went into the bathroom with her brown paper bag.

She sat on the commode and stared at it blandly. Her one hand was still pressed against her abdomen and she sniffed. And she had no idea that she would feel this way. Her stomach was doing cartwheels, her breasts were tender and because of the cartwheels in her stomach she was feeling a tad bit nauseated.

This was most certainly not how she had imagined this experience to be like. At the least, she had always dreamt that she would be married and both she and her husband would be experiencing this together. Waiting for the test results together. Just herself and...Sirius.

No such luck for Holly Lily Potter this time around either. Insane dark wizard? No thank you, defeated. Pregnancy while still in your teens? Er, yes?

Holly sighed and grabbed the bag. She tore it open and briefly looked at the box and small potion vile before she turned the box over and began to read the instructions.

She muttered aloud."..Blah, blah, three drops from dropper in potion vile to applicator... Next soak applicator thoroughly in urine..eurgh!...Blah, Blah..Three minute results...Applicator will announce gestation period.. gestation period?! I'm not laying a bloody egg.."

She follow the directions closely. Three drops to a stiff piece of spongy cardboard that was sticking out of a plastic applicator. And the she grumbled as she peed on it. After she was sure it was thoroughly..soaked, she placed the applicator on the edge of the bathtub and waited.

"Three minutes?!" Holly muttered to herself as she stared at the applicator. "That's bloody forever!"

While she waited not so patiently, she realised that her hand had subconsciously made it's way back to her abdomen. She gently pressed against it, wondering if she would be able to feel the life she suspected was growing there. Nothing, just firm muscle and healthy fat. Then again, the last time she had actually had sex was the day before she had came to Hogwarts, which if that day had been the day the.. fetus had been conceived, then she was fairly early in the...pregnancy. So Holly definitely wouldn't be able to feel a thing, yet. If there was a.. baby in there, that it.

Holly frowned and removed the hand from her abdomen. When was this bloody applicator going to finish!

"Positive," a cool feminine voice suddenly said, coming straight from the plastic applicator.

Holly breathing suddenly took off and the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach finally overcame her. She jumped off of the commode, flipped up the lid and her breakfast made a second appearance. In the background she can hear the plastic applicator's cool feminine voice speak on.

"First trimester. 6 weeks. By the end of the sixth week of your first trimester the milestones your baby has met are the development of the nose, mouth and ears. Your baby's heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute - almost twice as much as yours! Intestines are still developing, and a bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. The pituitary gland is forming still, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is now a quarter of an inch ling, about the size of a lentil."

As soon as the voice had finished it's announcement, Holly was done. She grabbed a towel that was hanging on a rack and wiped her mouth. A sob forced it's way out of her mouth as her hand once again found it's way to her still flat abdomen.

It was positive. There was a living being in her belly. A living being that would steadily continue to grow until it was ready to say hello. Another sob tore itself out of her throat, this time for a different reason, but a no less emotional reason.

This baby was a little piece of her and Sirius. A little piece of the man she was passionately in love with. The man who haunted her dreams almost nightly. The man who came to her like an incubus in the dead of night to ravish her body and heart in the most sinful of pleasurable ways.

"You tart," Holly scolded herself, as she was getting a little hot and bothered by the thought.

And a dirty thought it was. The thought that at the height of their passion, Sirius' delicious seed had been so deliciously deep inside of her that it had taken root and created life. She honestly could not think of anything more arousing than that at this moment. But it was suddenly beaten down by one thought.

How would she tell her friends and family? How would she tell Sirius?

 

*Present*

Sirius,

I think you and I need to have an overdue conversation. I will come visit you this Friday.

Holly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a relatively short chapter. I really wanted to extrapolate more on Holly's feelings when she found out she was pregnant, but I decided to keep it short before it blew up into more than what I wanted it to be.


	9. Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly and Sirius finally have a long overdue talk, but Holly seems to have forgotten to tell Sirius something.. Hmm.

Holly,

I look forward to seeing you, I've missed you very much. I'm sorry with the way I ended our relationship. It never should have happened. I'm going to end this letter before I write a novel on how very sorry I am.

With all my love,

Sirius

~*~

Holly folded the parchment and stuck it into a drawer of her desk. She threw herself back onto her bed and laid on her back. A hand automatically found its way to her belly. She smiled to herself as she stared at the popcorn ceiling. Ever since she had found out about the life growing in her belly, she almost always had a hand on her belly.

It was Thursday now and she had nothing better to do than to lay about the house. Hermione was in classes and Lavender was with Madame Pomfrey. She had talked to Madame Pomfrey and had been able to end her little internship. Holly had been able to also talk to the Headmistress and explain that she was no longer going to continue her education. Both Pomfrey and McGonagall had been concerned, but she had been able to explain that it was for a very personal matter that she would rather not discuss at the moment.

"Knock knock!" A voice called from the living room. "I'm here, dear."

Holly sighed and sat up on her bed as the Weasley matriarch came into her bedroom.

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley gushed as she sprang forward to hug her tightly. "You three have such a lovely home! Now I know why Ron is over most nights! How are you, my dear?"

"I'm okay," Holly said, sounding a bit down. "I've felt a little tired as of late. My tits bloody hurt -"

"Language, dear.."

"- Sorry.. And the smell of cooking pork seems to be the number one trigger for my gag reflex..Ohh, and I absolutely love the sweet metallic taste of blood pops at the moment."

Molly giggled. "Oh! It seems that you are experiencing almost all the pregnancy symptoms that are most common. Oh, this is so exciting! My first grandchild!"

They moved toward the kitchen, where a large woolen bag was on the four seater table. Molly began to unpack the bag, bringing out large and heavy-looking containers that definitely would not have been able to fit if not for magical extension charms.

"Oh," Holly exclaimed in delight as Molly opened a large container filled to the brim with her home-made chicken soup, the aroma filling the small kitchen. "That smells absolutely divine!"

Molly served her a large bowl of soup before she began to unpack rolls, butter, and glasses of lemonade. The last container was a fresh batch of her famous, home-made treacle tart.

"You best not leave these out in the open," Molly said as she served herself, but pointed to the container of treacle tart. "If Ron sees them you won't be likely to get a bite. That boy, he's as slim as a bean pole but his stomach is a bottomless abyss."

Holly chuckled and nodded.

"Are you planning on doing anything this weekend? Arthur and I were planning on having a nice family dinner on Sunday. Bill and Fleur are going to be coming. George will be there as well, or course. Ron and Lavender have promised to be there. Why, I've already sent the owl out to Hermione to invite her and Draco Malfoy... Oh my, I wonder how Ron will be taking that news."

"Eh," Holly said as she sipped the soup. "He's been alright with seeing Draco's mug here. Draco stays here almost every other day, you see. He just glared at first, but now it's cooled down to grunting in Draco's direction."

Molly chuckled. "Well, that sounds good then. I'm glad I won't have to worry about any duels breaking out at dinner. Will you be coming?"

Holly nodded. "I'll be there."

"Wonderful! And, erm, I also invited Sirius, just so you know... Have you talked to him yet, dear?"

Holly shook her head.

"Oh," Molly commented softly. "You know, I've been taking him three meals a day. Everyone knows the man can burn water.. I haven't told him about anything we had talked about, just so you know."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Holly smiled slightly to her. "I did send him an owl."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I told him I would go to Grimmauld on Friday so that we can talk."

"That's good, dear. Its bad for the baby if you hold in all these stressing concerns to yourself. Talking to a close friend, family member, or loved one in general will always help... And I will always be just and owl or floo away."

Holly's smile widened and a lump of emotion welled within her chest. She watched as Mrs. Weasley talked on, this time about setting up an appointment with a healer and what type of foods would be good for her and the baby. Every once in a while, Mrs. Weasley would lean forward and hold her hand.

In this moment, Holly knew this: she was lucky to have such a wonderful mother figure in her life to hold her hand.

 

*Thursday*

Her shoes were the only sound she could hear in the hall as she walked toward the infirmary. The students were obviously in class because there was not a soul in sight on this Thursday afternoon. Thank goodness! She really didn't feel like dealing with wide-eyed school children at the moment, which sounded peculiar, seeing as she would eventually have a wide-eyed school child in the future, but that was something different altogether.

She was planning on meeting Lavender this afternoon for lunch. Or breakfast, whichever looked good. Holly rubbed her belly in thought. Maybe...brunch?

They had both planned to adventure out into muggle London to search for a nice café or a pub, whichever came first. Holly sucked on her teeth and remembered she wasn't allowed to drink. But, didn't French women indulge in a glass of wine now and then? Now there was a question to ask her healer.

She couldn't deny that there was a slight skip in her step as she made her way toward the infirmary. She was hoping to say hello to Madame Pomfrey and hopefully convince her to let Lavender off thirty minutes early. Holly rubbed her belly again. It was growling now and she smiled. Her baby was hungry and she was loath to deny it a thing. And she swore that with every meal she had her baby was growing bigger and stronger. Others would argue that she looked the same (Hermione and Lavender), but there was no denying the obvious change when she was naked and in front of the bathroom mirror.

And now there was definitely no denying the skip in her step as she thought of her baby. Just thinking of him or her brought her to smiles and sometimes giggles. She was so excited to meet them and - she walked right into the only student walking the halls in the middle of class.

"Oof!" was the sound that came out of her mouth as she steadied herself on a suit of armor.

The kid, a girl, fell back onto her bum and her school bag had completely emptied on the hallway floor. The girl looked up at her with huge eyes filled with tears and panic.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Holly apologized as she helped the girl up. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she girl answered with a sob as she began to right her robes. "I'm just really late for class. My roommates didn't wake me and let me sleep in. I already missed two others."

She began to help the girl with her things and asked, "What's your name?"

"Lily Jones."

Holly's eyes widened in surprise at the name. "T-that's a pretty name. Lily, I mean. Are you a muggleborn?"

Lily Jones nodded, her eyes also wide.

"Are you in Gryffindor?"

"Slytherin. This is my first year."

"Wow. A muggleborn in Slytherin. You must get a lot of flack about that subject."

"Yeah," Lily grumbled.

"Don't worry. Things will turn around for you. Just don't believe all the rumors they spread about Slytherins, find yourself some dependable friends and you'll do fine... What's the class your late for?"

"Potions," Lily answered immediately. "With my house head, Professor Slughorn."

Holly smiled. "Just tell old Slughorn I ran you over in the halls for an excuse and he should let you off with no fuss."

The muggleborn first year look a tad confused. "What's your name?"

Holly's smile widened into a grin at the refreshing question. "My name is Holly. Holly Potter, at your service."

Little Lily Jones' eyes bulged before they lit up first in recognition and then awe. She opened her mouth, no doubt to exclaim something in excitement when they were both interrupted.

"I read about you in Hogwarts, A History -"

"Ms. Jones? Holly?"

They both looked up at the person. Lily's eyes brightened again at the sight of the professor who was walking toward them from the direction of the infirmary. Holly nearly blanched at the sight of the current standing Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin. His face betrayed no emotion as his eyes took her in.

"Hi, Professor Lupin," Lily greeted , before slinging her bag over one shoulder. "I should really be going now. Thanks, Ms. Potter. Bye!"

Holly watched the girl scurry away toward the direction of the dungeons, where the potions classroom was situated. She turned back to Remus to find him watching her. She should have known that this would happen someday. Oh, why didn't she listen to Lavender and wait at the entrance for her! This certainly could have been avoided. Not forever, but she surely had not wanted to see him so soon after what happened in his classroom.

"Hi," he greeted quietly.

"Hullo," she replied just as quietly. "Didn't think I would see you so soon after...er."

Remus' cheeks flushed slightly. "My thoughts exactly... Listen, I want to apologize about that. The way everything went about... It wasn't the way I wanted it to happen."

"It shouldn't have happened at all," Holly said, toying with a loose thread of her baby blue robes. "I mean, your married for goodness sake! And I'm in love with someone else... It was in the heat of the moment. I was so angry at you for what you did and then you kissed me. Why?"

The man sighed, looking down trodden. "Do you really have to ask?"

"You don't love me, Remus," Holly suddenly said, looking him boldly in the eyes. "I remember that you were trying to tell me something. And I think you were trying to tell me that you were in love with me. I don't think you're in love with me. I think you're just in an infactuation with me."

"I do love you," he insisted.

"And what about Tonks and Teddy?"

Remus sighed. "We've been separated for a couple of weeks now. I see Teddy every weekend. She found out that I had coerced Sirius into breaking up with you.. and why."

"Merlin, who else knows about us!" Holly complained to herself before she turned back to him. "Even if you had separated from your wife, you still don't love me. You may think you do, but you don't. Besides, I'm in love with Sirius, Remus. There is nothing you can do that will change that.."

The man nodded, his fists stuffed into his pockets and his gaze onto the stone floor. He had his lower lip between his teeth and when he finally raised his head, she saw tears in his eyes. Holly turned away. While she knew for certain that his tears would never be able to sway her, to see his distraught and seemingly heartbroken face hurt her. It reminded her that she had been in his exact place when Sirius had broken up with her.

But she was also reminded that Remus had been one of the causes of that, and with that thought she turned back to him.

"I'm sorry you have to feel this way," she whispered, the stone walls carrying her words to his ears.

He nodded again and then began to walk away, but then he stopped. With his back still turned to her, he asked her a question.

"D-do think that if you were never in love with someone else already, that you would have been able to love me?"

Holly sighed before she shrugged, and she realized that he could not see her, so she answered his question.

"Maybe in another life."

~*~

Holly had never been more relieved to leave Hogwarts. In fact, she didn't think she could conjure up a memory when she had been so relieved to leave Hogwarts. Just the thought of Remus being in that castle was enough to make her run down the dirt road to Hogsmeade.

She had explained to Lavender about what had happened outside of the infirmary. Lavender, whom was still a bit of a gossip monger, as Hermione now effectionately called her, listened intently. But as soon as the gossip was had, Lavender seemed a bit different. In Holly's opinion she seemed quite depressed looking.

"Brunch is a wonderful word," Holly commented with a mouthful.

Lavender wrinkled her nose, though she looked amused.

"Swallow before you speak, please."

"Sorry," Holly chuckled after she had swallowed. "So, how are you and Ron? I haven't spoken to him since he ran out a couple of days ago."

Lavender sighed and her eyes darted around before she hunched down over her plate in defeat. She looked thoroughly upset about something and Holly had a feeling that it was because of Ron. That boy could be such a dunce sometimes. Okay, most times.

"We're fine," Lavender finally answered, sounding completely sullen.

Holly's eyebrows rose. "Really? It doesn't sound like everything's fine. Has he done something to make him seem like a total arse? Because if he has, I will make it my mission to go to his place of work and humiliate him in front of the customers... All while using the store merchandise. For free. I'll have you know I'm a private invester of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

Lavender smiled, her demeanor perking up a bit. "Please don't, I'll never hear the end of it and please don't worry about us. Ron is just in a... funk. I guess hearing your news pretty much aggravated it."

"Funk about what I wonder?"

"I said, please don't worry, Holls," Lavender pleaded. She gave Holly a puppy dog look. "I'll want to tell everyone together, when I'm ready."

"Okay. I'll try to wait patiently then."

"Thank you."

"And please don't ever mention the word funk and Ron in the same sentence. It sounds disgustingly smelly."

Holly was pleased to get a laugh out of Lavender.

 

*Friday*

"How do I look?" Holly asked Hermione and Lavender.

Both girls were sitting cross-legged on her bed. They both nodded in approval, their eyes sparkling.

"You're going to knock him right off of his feet," Lavender lamented.

Hermione agreed, though grudgingly. It seems that she was still mad about the way he had broken up with her best friend and knocked her up while he was at it because Holly could have sworn she had heard, "and hopefully down on flight of stairs.."

She was dressed in a black baby doll dress that was just a little too long and baggy on her, which was just the way she had wanted it to be. Lavender had let her borrow a black patent leather belt to tie around her waist. She had then borrowed Hermione's periwinkle cloak to go over it.

"I should be off then," Holly said as she looked one last time at herself in the mirror.

"You going to pop over or are you going to floo?" Hermione asked. She picked up a large volume of "What to Expect When Your Expecting A Little Witch or Wizard..". "I've consulted on a few text books on the subject of apparition or floo. It says that in the first trimester you should be fine, but to limit your travels to floo in the second and third. And it also says to portkey at the risk of your pregnancy, so..."

Holly chuckled. "Well, we don't have to worry about the portkey. It's not like I'll be going on some extended holiday of some sort. I'll stick to the country, thank you."

By the time she had made it to Grimmauld Place it was a little after 1pm. She quickly went up the four steps that lead up to the door and knocked.. As she waited, she smoothed out her hair, then her the cloak over her baby doll dress. The door opened quickly, and her breath was taken away.

Sirius stood before her. He looked freshly showered, his hair dripping with water. His jeans were unbuttoned and so was the blue plaid muggle shirt he was wearing. (1)His hair was something that had caught her eye. Holly couldn't take her eyes off of his wet shaggy hair. It was longer than when she had last seen him and it reminded her that it had been so long since she had last seen him.

"Hi," they both greeted and then chuckled.

"I'm relieved you came," Sirius admitted as he moved to the side to allow her in.

Holly couldn't help but smile. "I think I forgot to put in a specific time in my owl. Sorry about that."

"Yeah," Sirius said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I uh, thought maybe you would come in the middle of the morning, but you didn't, so then I thought maybe you weren't going to come. But I'm glad you did."

He led her into the library where Holly wanted to do anything but sit. She had noticed on the way to the library though that Grimmauld had changed. The walls, which had previously bore a dark wallpaper, were a golden cream. The dark mahogany wood of the banister and door frames were polished to a shine and the smell of a lemon wood oil was quite refreshing. There was even some new furniture instead of the old, uncomfortable furniture that had once belonged to his mother.

"I like what you've done," Holly commented as she looked around the library. "Everything looks so different. If I didn't know any different I would say we were in a different town house."

"Yeah," Sirius nodded, agreeing. "It's crazy what new wallpaper, a little paint and new furniture would do to a place. It doesn't look like the place I had grown up in anymore..."

"Which is the look you were going for, wasn't it?"

Sirius looked satisfied. "Exactly. My old bitch of a mother had this place looking like a real dungeon and the rest of us felt like prisoners. Even my father, the old bastard... But I've told you that before."

Holly nodded.

"Listen, I want to apologize to you-"

"Sirius," Holly sighed. "I think I know already how sorry you are... And you know what, I forgive you. All this time has given me the ability to get over it..."

Sirius sniffed. "Thank you. I want you to know that this was a major learning experience for me. I've realized that I have been a total dunce and that moment has to be one of the most horrible mistakes that I have ever made. It's right next to when I talked your father into making Peter into the secret keeper."

Holly sighed again. "That's something that no one blamed you for, Sirius. I don't know how many times I have to remind you of this..."

"I'm hoping a few thousand times more," Sirius said, his voice breaking only slightly. "I'm hoping that I'll get to hear your voice everyday from now on... This whole disaster has been a major learning point for me, love."

She sucked in a breath at his words and waited for him to say something more. She hoped he would say something more. There was an ache within her that strengthened as she was near him. It was a longing feeling that had been steadily growing stronger ever since she had left Grimmauld Place.

Sirius paused as if to find the words for what he wanted to say to her and he chewed on his bottom lip. Holly couldn't help but stare. Her eyes were locked on those plump lips. She had those lips not too long ago. She knew their taste, their surprisingly soft plumpness. And she knew the velvety feel of that tongue that came out to swipe across that lower lip. That velvety feel had haunted her dreams as it ran all over her body.

"The most important thing I had learned," Sirius finally continued after he let go of his lower lip. "Was that I am a miserable bastard without you -"

Holly covered her mouth a fist to stop the sob from escaping. She hunched forward and hugged her middle with her one available arm. The aching feeling in her being was slowly dissipating and what she was left with was a content relief. He wanted her! He wanted her back just as much as she wanted him back. She felt so stupid now. It occurred to her that if she had allowed him to apologize to her all those weeks ago in Hogsmeade, they would have probably been together already. If not for her pride, her despair in that moment, she and her lover would and should have been together.

And so she allowed herself a moment of anger at herself, before she allowed that too to dissipate from her very being. Holly would just have to accept the circumstances. No matter how long it took for them to reunite and whether it was her own fault, or his, or even Remus' - they were together again. And that was all that mattered now!

His hands were on her now. Holding her face and bringing her forward into his embrace. He was delicate with her, gentle and she felt his lips on her cheek, on the corner of her mouth, whispering.

"- I need you," he implored to her. "I need you in mind, body and soul. To be beside me as my equal in my home or in your home. It's doesn't matter where, but I need you to be my partner in crime... I need you to be mine forever."

Holly's hands fisted into his plaid shirt tightly, pulling toward as much as she could. She burrowed her face into his neck and nodded.

"Yes," she answered into his skin. "Please, yes. I want this too."

Their lips finally met. The delicious heat that was coming from his lips felt fantastic and she opened her mouth to him immediately. Their hands were everywhere and she vaguely realized that she had used all of her strength to walk him backwards to the small love seat that was right behind him. When the back of his knees hit the love seat, Sirius collapsed backwards. Holly shed her outer cloak and then sat down on his lap, reaching forward to taste his mouth again.

"Oh gods," Sirius said between kisses. "I have wanted to taste you for some time now."

Holly gave a throaty chuckle as his lips travelled down to her chin, to her throat and to her chest. His hands groped and squeezed her tender breasts before he began to unbuckle the patent belt that she had borrowed and then wrench the baby doll dress over her head. Holly knew exactly where there actions were leading to and she was so anxious for it. She had dreamed of this for weeks and now it was going to happen.

Before she knew it, she had gotten him out of his clothing and he was working on her bra and panties. Sirius began nudging her to a standing position and tugged her panties down. It seemed as if electricity was bringing her back to life as his hand brushed over her nether regions.

"Oh!" she gasped in surprise, as she was much more sensitive than she had realized after so many weeks of celibacy.

When she was finally able to sink down onto his hardness they both cried out together. They held each other tightly as Sirius ever so slowly began to thrust upwards. Holly had wrapped her legs around his waist tightly and held on for the ride as he began to gradually speed up until it seemed as if he was pounding into her very being. And when they finally came they laid on the floor of the library, limbs tangled together and the sweat cooling their heated skin.

"I love you so much," she whispered to him as he ran his hands all over her body.

"I love you too," he said.

They laid their a little while longer, sleep beginning to take over. His hands continued their journey over her body until they stopped just over her tummy and Holly froze. Fear began to seep into her very pours as she realized that she had forgotten to do something. It was the very reason why she had wanted to come to Grimmauld Place, why she had wanted to come see Sirius.

His soft snore surprised her and she relaxed into his tightening embrace as he slept. Holly decided to allow the fear to drift away. She could definitely hold off on telling him. She could tell him later tonight. Or even tomorrow. Or just another day altogether. It wasn't as if she was going to give birth in the week to come. She still had time, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I had heard and read an interview where J. K. Rowling had said that whenever Sirius became depressed he would allow his hair to get longer, but when he was perfectly content his hair was normally around the length between his shoulder and his chin. I think you can still find that interview on hp-lexicon or mugglenet. Check it out. Lots of interesting info on those sites that I use for my fictions.


	10. Physics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly finally tells Sirius and he doesn't take the news the way she had hoped he would have, so she escapes to seek comfort at the only place she has only ever received comfort.

Sometimes Holly hated physics quotes. They could be equated to common sense most of the time as well, and that made her hate them even more. She also hated them when they made sense to her personal life. The saying she hated most was affirmed by Sir Isaac Newton in relation to gravity. He had said: 'what goes up, must come down.'

Damn him. She should have known that the feelings of complete love that had been brought soaring into outer space would come crashing down furiously.

By the time Sirius and Holly had decided to wake up it was well into the late evening. Mrs. Weasley had already stopped by to drop off Sirius' customary dinner basket. She had included twice as much food and drink which told them that she knew very well that Holly was there in Grimmauld. It made Holly blush to think that Kreacher had to have told Mrs. Weasley that they were indisposed. That's if the Weasley matriarch had asked.

More than likely she had, of course. She was thoughtful in that way and had possibly wanted to say hello. How embarrassing!

They had decided to bring the food basket up to the library with them. They ate half-naked; giggling at light conversation. Their touching never ceased throughout the meal, which brought a blush to Holly that made its way from her breasts and up to her pinked cheeks. Needless to say, Sirius was delighted by that. After being away from each other for so long they were both loath to let each other go. Never again, if they couldn't help it. Their conversation suddenly turned to what they had each done during their brief separation.

"I wasn't lying, you know," Sirius was insistent. "I was absolutely miserable."

"I told you that being a Head of a family would be exhaustively difficult," Holly jumped in, her tone light and teasing.

Sirius snorted and nipped her naked shoulder. "You know full well I didn't mean about that. I meant because you weren't here... Although, that experience was shit too. Good thing I'm not the head of the most noble house of Black anymore..."

Holly turned in his lap and gaped at him. "What? You gave it up?"

He nodded, looking quite smug and satisfied. "Gave the position to my cousin Andromeda as soon as she was legally acknowledged as a Black again. She's certainly taken over the position like a fish to water. Better than I had done it, really."

"So you've just been a lazy sod this whole time, eh?" Holly asked, with a cheeky grin.

"No!" Sirius said loudly, as he laid a hand over his heart and faking a wounded expression. "Of course not! I will have you know that I have shadowed Andy here and there and everywhere!"

"Really now?" Holly asked, sounding amused and disbelieving.

"Yes!" he insisted with mirth clear in his voice. "It's so she can show me the ropes. She's not exactly a spring chicken anymore. So when she finally decides to let the position fall to another family member, it will come back to me. Nymphadora - don't you dare tell her I called her that - has no intent on taking it, so it will pass back to me and then I will pass it to my children."

Holly froze at that word instantly. Children. It reminded her in an instant that there was definitely something she had forgotten to mention. She just knew that Sirius had felt her whole body tense up and no doubt he could see the blush that was making its way up her neck.

"Are you alright, love?" Sirius asked, sounding quite concerned. "You feel a little - a lot - tense here."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. The pressure of the truth was almost overwhelming. She was sure if she held it back any longer her chest would explode is some macabre way.

"I'm pregnant."

It felt as if Sirius turned to stone beneath her. Holly cringed and moved out of his lap. She looked toward her lover and found that the man had completely paled. His jaw was slack and there was an alarmed expression beginning to take over his face.

"You - your?" he stuttered.

Holly gulped and nodded. She decided to repeat it again, this time with more confidence. The second time around wasn't as pressured as the first time.

"I'm pregnant, Sirius."

"Whose -"

The anger had flared up in that second. The moment that first word had come out of his mouth Holly already knew what question he wanted to ask and she was completely angered by it. She glared at him and the absolute fire in her gaze was enough to stop him in his tracks.

"Whose child do you think it belongs to?" Holly shouted. "It's your's, you imbecile! Why, I'm not some bint who goes about sleeping with men everywhere I go! If you had to ask that stupid question, then I sincerely doubt my state of mind for even being here with you!"

The man began to look angered as well. No doubt the name calling and the comment on her own mental state for even being in a relationship with him was stinging to his ego as a man. Sirius was quick to fire back an automatic retort and it was just as stinging, if not more. It was filled with anger and jealously.

"Well how am I supposed to know? For all I know you could have slept with your professors!"

Holly blanched. As soon as those words had come out of Sirius mouth, the memory of almost sleeping with Remus came to the forefront and the shame, horror and anger were seeping together. Sirius regretted that those words had ever come out of his mouth. The feeling of hurt was bubbling and completely overcoming her other feelings, and she was on her feet in an instant.

Using her wand, she summoned and then charmed her clothes back on. Sirius was on his feet as well. He began to search for his clothing the muggle way, sticking his legs into the jeans and then dragging them up over his bare behind quickly.

"I didn't mean it!" Sirius insisted, fear clear in his voice. "Don't leave. Not again!"

Holly looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Yes, you did mean it. In that moment, you did..."

Sirius grabbed her wrists and looked at her pleadingly before she wrenched them out of his grasp and made her way toward the door. She turned last-minute and found Sirius right on her tail. He was shirtless, with his unbuttoned jeans falling off his hip bones.

"You were right.." she said, feeling the shame and disgust rise up, encompassing her entire being.

She needed to get this off of her chest or it would eat her up alive. If there was one thing that could be said about Holly Lily Potter, it was that she had a healthy conscious that she made sure was clear.

"When you said I was probably sleeping with my professors.."

The look that appeared on Sirius face was filled with heartbreak, distress and horror. And then there was thunderous anger. Anger at her.

"...I didn't," Holly assured quickly, glad to see the expressions leave his face. But she was sad to see that the anger stayed, not that she could blame him. She had never seen him look at her like that, but the truth needed to be said. "But I almost did. I almost slept with Professor Lupin. With Remus."

He turned away from her and sat down on the library love seat. The same love seat they had made love on. Sirius held his head in his hands as she explained what had happened.

"When I had found out that he was teaching there I wanted to give him a piece of my mind for the part that he had played. By that time I already knew I was pregnant. When I found him I just let all my emotions loose on him. Everything that I was feeling came out like a water fall and the pregnancy hormones weren't helping me get a clean grasp of myself. He was trying to tell me something... when he kissed me. And I let him. He tried to take it a step further, but I stopped him and I got as far away from him as I could... I just found out yesterday that he was trying to tell me that he loved me."

Sirius fisted his hand in his hair and she sniffed, brushing away a few tears. He gave no other response or made no other move. She wanted him to get up and wrap his arms around her. She wanted him to tell her it was alright and everything was forgiven, but he still made no move.

"But I don't love him," she said, her voice rough with emotion. "This is your baby. And I'm in love with you. Remember that."

Holly quickly left the room. She was down the stairs and out the door in a flash, faster than a Lightening Bolt racing broom. She apparated to the first place that came to mind and then landed on shaky feet in the front of her safe haven. The Burrow. She looked up at the home that seemed to on the verge of collapse and could barely see it in the night sky, but she could make out the lights from inside the living room and kitchen. Someone was awake and she just knew it was Mrs. Weasley, whom at one time told Holly that she liked to indulge in a little late night knitting.

She moved forward, opening and closing the gate behind her before trudging through the chickens and to the front door. The chickens scattered automatically, clucking loudly at her harassment of them and the door opened before she could pick up her hand to knock.

"I could have sworn that someone apparated in, Molly," Arthur Weasley, the Weasley patriarch said loudly to his wife as he opened the door. "The chickens sound to be in a tizzy as well."

His back had been toward the door and Holly could see that he was still in his smart-looking work robes. No doubt he had just gotten home from work at this late hour. As soon as he turned around to look about the garden, he saw her and brightened.

"Holly!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise, sweetheart - OOF!"

Quickly, Holly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her father figure's waist. Mr. Weasley in turn wrapped his arms around her and then turned to look toward his wife, completely bewildered. Then his bewilderment turned to concern as she began to quietly cry.

"Bring the poor dear inside, Arthur," Molly insisted as she stood from her favorite knitting chair. "I think I may know what this is about. George, be a dear and put the kettle on... And for Merlin's sake! Take off that neon dragon monstrosity that you call wizarding robes!"

~*~

Holly woke to the sound of roosters. She was nice and warm under the red, flowery quilt that served as Ginny's blanket. She had a dreamless sleep. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had fed her and then sent her off to bed. Ginny's bed to be exact. Hopefully Mrs. Weasley would forget to mention this to Ginny in the future. She really had no urge to have another argument with the little red-haired bint.

Thus far, Holly had done a phenomenal job of avoiding her. Holly had seen the girl the in halls of Hogwarts, talking with her friends or Luna and Holly was pretty sure that Ginny had noticed her as well because she would always feel eyes on her back as she walked in the opposite direction. But Holly wasn't going to dwell on that now. She had other things to dwell upon, unfortunately.

With the speed of a sea-snail Holly crawled out of the warm bed. There was a nice looking peasant dress and button up sweater arranged on the end of the bed that had not been there the night before. No doubt Mrs. Weasley had laid this out for her. With the way that her hormones were at the moment, it almost brought her to tears at the thought of Mrs. Weasley still taking care of her.

"Mrs. Weasley is the best mother figure anyone could ever have," Holly sniffed as she quickly changed.

Holly quickly made her way downstairs in the clean peasant dress and sweater. When she had initially put it on, she definitely knew that it had been tailored for Ginny. The chest area was much too tight and was almost constricting. She had to take her wand and expand it just a few more inches. Holly supposed that she best not mention that little detail either. It would most definitely be something else Ginny would want to argue about. She found Mrs. Weasley multitasking in the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning, dear," Mrs. Weasley greeted, beaming at the sight of Holly in the peasant dress. "I just knew that dress would look lovely on you! I got that for Ginny quite a while ago and she had refused to wear it. It used to belong to one of our old neighbor's girls."

Holly smiled slightly. "Thank you for laying it out for me."

"Think nothing of it, dear. Someone had to continue wearing it. Ginny would have let the doxy moths eat away at that dress if she had the choice, the wasteful girl. Thinks galleons grow on trees."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Holly asked as she looked over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder.

There was four pans frying on the four burner stove. One with eggs, another with sausages, bread and potatoes. Mrs. Weasley was holding her wand like an orchestra conductor in the middle of her grand opus. There was dishes washing themselves in the sink and from the window over the stove Holly could see that a fresh load of washing was hanging itself. This was another reason Holly loved being at the Burrow. Magic was their way of life in this home, unlike the Dursley home.

"Oh, no, but thank you," Mrs. Weasley beamed. "You just sit yourself down and tell me what happened..."

What happened?... Oh.

Holly slumped down into a chair as the memories of what had taken place last night at Grimmauld came back to her. She had been so wrapped up in the parental love that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were so happy to extend over her that she had nearly forgotten. She had been so blissfully content and now the weight of what had happened was falling over her and coming to pool in her lower abdomen where her child was now resting, snug like a bug in a rug.

Her lower lip trembled.

Holly cleared her throat. "I uh, met him just around one in the afternoon, I think. We were getting on well. We cleared up a few things about what had happened a couple of months ago and we forgave each other."

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Weasley beamed as she turned to her and sat at the kitchen table with her. She chose a seat that was across from her. "But from the way you arrived here last night.. I'm speculating that something may have gone wrong?"

The younger woman nodded. "By the end of the night I had finally told him I was pregnant and he said some things. I said some things too. I told him that I had kissed Remus..

"..I just feel so ashamed!" Holly announced as she wiped away a few stray tear that fell without her permission. "But a part of me feels that I shouldn't! When he broke up with me, he told me to move on. He told me to experience love with others. And I admit that I wasn't even trying to! What happened between me and Remus was a complete accident! A mistake!... How dare he be angry with me! How dare he even begin to feel disgust about it! We weren't even together!"

Mrs. Weasley reached over and held her hand. "He'll come 'round, dear. For now, I believe that we should do some soothing activities to calm ourselves. Goodness knows I would like nothing more than to apparate over to Grimmauld and hex his bullocks off."

As soon as she agreed ti became perfectly clear to Holly that she had actually woken up near twelve in the afternoon. Out of the goodness of her heart, Mrs. Weasley still made her a perfectly wonderful English breakfast. Not an egg white omelet without the cheese (the Malfoys), thank you very much!

Mrs. Weasley had her tea while Holly ate and she was reminded to owl Hermione and Lavender before they both drove themselves to madness with worry. So she also found herself scribbling out an explanation on a short piece of parchment for Errol to deliver.

They played a couple of games of chess, and Holly learned where exactly Ron really got his superior chess skills from. Mr. Weasley certainly was no pushover when it came to chess, but Mrs. Weasley was a master at the game, leaving Holly flummoxed at every checkmate the older woman gained. After that Holly was allowed to help with the Christmas knitting. She liked to think she helped Mrs. Weasley put a pretty big dent into that project, which would undoubtedly save Mrs. Weasley some time in the future, but they probably only knitted for a good thirty minutes.

Holly helped with the laundry, the tidying up, and she even helped get the nomes out of the garden. It turned out to be a very productive, but satisfying day. It was most certainly better than wallowing all day in bed reminiscing on regrets. She knew for certain that if she had apparated from Grimmauld to her Hogsmeade cottage she would have done just that. Wallowing in her own despair. With all the activities that kept her busy in the Weasley household, she was barely able to even think about it. Leave it to Mrs. Weasley to suggest household chores as soothing activities.

Before they both knew it was already time for Mrs. Weasley to begin dinner. This time Holly helped. She chopped vegetables for the beef stew that Mrs. Weasley had promised Mr. Weasley she would make him and she also made the lemonade they would be drinking. And of course, as coincidence would have it, they then received an owl from Mr. Weasley that announced he would be late from work again.

"I just don't understand," Holly said as she Mrs. Weasley placed a bowl of hot stew in front of her. "It's Saturday. He shouldn't be working at all."

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "That's what I've said for years, dear. But I've come to understand that malicious muggle haters don't pay attention to weekends. It's quite unfortunate and it puts Arthur in such a mood. But he will be off tomorrow."

They ate together in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. All the while, her thoughts were running away with her. She was nervous. She had completely forgotten about the Sunday dinner. She decided to stay the night again at the urging of Mrs. Weasley. Holly had a feeling that she missed having one of her children home at any length of a time. While both Ron and George still had most of their things in the Burrow, they only came back for changes of clothes or to drop off their dirty laundry to their mother. And Ginny was at Hogwarts, of course.

She quickly floo-ed back to the Hogsmeade cottage, to the surprise of Hermione and Lavender. They both watched as she packed a quick change of clothes and pajamas. She had decided to wear a beige sweater dress that had red little unicorns. Holly dug through her closet and grabbed a pair of beige patterned leggings and black ballet flats.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked as she bit on her thumb nail.

Holly closed the moleskin purse before she turned toward them and shook her head. "No.. I don't know. It didn't go the way I had wanted it to go."

"What happened?" Lavender asked next.

Holly shook her head again. "I don't want to talk about it...Will you both be at dinner tomorrow?"

Both girls nodded.

Holly nodded. "You should come for lunch, too. Mrs. Weasley and I had fun together... We played chess and the like. Cleaned, laundry.. It kept my mind off of things."

Hermione and Lavender glanced at each other before they assured her they would be over at the Weasley home for lunch as well.

"I can bring some of the muggle games my mum sent over," Hermione volunteered. "I'm sure they'll enjoy them. Especially Mr. Weasley."

"That sounds great!" Holly said. She tried to sound enthusiastic about it, but it came out much too forced. "I'll see you both there then."

Holly had no idea what to expect of the dinner at the Weasley's home on Sunday night. She was anticipatory, but also nervous. But she knew that all she had to do was wait. She knew more than anyone else that time had a way of catching up to you. It was just about time for her and Sirius to catch up with each other. And it was most certainly time for them both to grow up and try to have grown up conversations.

~*~

 

Once again, Holly woke up late in the morning. She smiled when she noticed that the beige sweater dress had been laid out for her, along with the beige patterned leggings and the flats. She took a slow luxurious shower before she scurried back to Ginny's room to change into her clothing. Holly closed the door with a snap and locked it, but when she turned to face the room she gasped. She most certainly was not expecting the room to be occupied.

"Hi," she breathed out, startled.

Ginny greeted her back. "Hi."

In Ginny's room there was a small make shift curtain that had been erected for changing. Holly quickly hid behind that curtain and began to change into her clothes, all the while wondering when the girl had arrived. She honestly felt like a criminal caught in the act. In Holly's case, she was caught in the act of sleeping in the girl's bed and enjoying the girl's parents like they were her own. She felt like an intruder or imposter.

"When did you get here?" Holly asked quietly, deciding to be the one to speak first.

Ginny cleared her throat. "Just now. Dad came to get me and Luna."

"Oh," Holly answered, surprised. "That's nice. I haven't seen or spoken to her in quite some time. It would be nice to speak with her again. I've always enjoyed her uniqe company."

The red-haired girl nodded before realizing that Holly couldn't see her behind the curtain. "Y-yes."

There was silence. It was an awkward silence that had Holly feeling quite uncomfortable. She pushed the curtain aside when she was done changing and then sat on Ginny's bed to put on her ballet flats. Holly fumbled with them and kept her eyes on the flats.

"I wanted to apologize," Ginny said suddenly. The ginger was looking anywhere but at Holly. "I was an utter bitch to you. And to Hermione. I can see that now."

Holly nodded, still looking uncertain. "Thanks. Apology accepted."

"I-eh," Ginny stuttered before she cleared her throat again, "I had thought about it this whole time we weren't talking... and I have to confess that I was a bit jealous... I was jealous of all the exciting things that were happening to you and all the exciting things you were getting to experience... But I was also jealous of Sirius too."

"Jealous of Sirius?"

Ginny sighed. "Because he was in the position I wanted to be in. He was with you."

Holly was speechless. Her mind was blown as she gaped at the red-haired girl whom had once been one of her best friends. Ginny liked her? Ginny had wanted to be in Sirius position? Was Ginny a lesbian? But Holly had most certainly seen the girl with other boys! And she knew that Ginny was sexually active, if the pregnancy scare at the beginning of the year was anything to hint after. Maybe she was bi-sexual?

"Wh-when had this started?" Holly asked, stuttering just a bit at the revelation.

"I uh, I think it began when I was real little," Ginny began to explain. Her hands were held on her lap and she was still looking anywhere but at Holly. "I remember always asking my dad or my mum to tell me the story of the girl-who-lived and I was just... starstruck. At first I wanted to be you. I would imagine that I was the girl-who-lived and that I went on these great adventures!"

Ginny smiled slightly as she reminisced. "And then, I don't know when exactly, but my feelings began to change. I didn't want to be you anymore. I wanted to know you and that happened when I met you all those years ago when Mum persuaded me to go with her to see Ron off to Hogwarts. I remember being so excited when I realized that I had been speaking to the one and only Holly Potter. And then I was even more excited when you offered to write to me from Hogwarts... Me, I officially knew the girl-who-lived. Then when I went to Hogwarts it was even better. I got to see you everyday. Talk to you everyday."

Her smile disappeared and she let her head hang. "And then you saved me from Riddle and the basilisk. I think after that was when my admiration began to change. It became... more. I began to feel attracted. And not just to you, but to other girls too. There were boys too, but I was mostly being attracted to girls. To you. It took me a while - years, really - to realize that I had a crush on you. I even became jealous of Hermione... I thought maybe she had a crush on you too.

"But I knew you weren't like that," Ginny continued with a sad smile. "I knew you weren't like me. You liked boys. You fell in love with Cedric and then he was murdered and you were single for well over a year and I thought that maybe... just maybe I would be able to tell you how I felt and I disillusioned myself into believing that maybe you would be able to learn how to like me the way I liked you. And then you fell in love with Sirius."

She fisted her hands in her lap and sighed. "I was so angry. I knew that your feelings for him were different. They were different from your feelings for Cedric, they were stronger. So I thought to myself, I'm being so selfish in my thinking. This is my best friend and I should be happy for her. So I buried them deep and faked being happy for you... But it just made me angrier and so bitter that -"

Ginny shut her mouth and closed her eyes tightly, before she looked up at Holly. Through out the story, Holly had been quiet. She was quiet, wide-eyed and speechless. This was most certainly the last thing that she had expected to come from Ginny. From Ginny! Not that she had anything against lesbians, but this was her best friend! She should have told Holly how she was feeling from the beginning because she certainly would have understood and would have had been a good listening ear. That's what friends are for!

"You have to believe me when I say that I am so sorry for acting the way I acted those couple of months ago!" Ginny pleaded. "I was so filled with anger and bitterness that it made me act like a different person. I am so sorry."

There was silence after Ginny's apology before Holly broke it. This was what she had been waiting for from Ginny. Just a simple apology.

"I just wish you would have told me how you were feeling. I would have understood and helped you."

Ginny searched Holly's face as she asked, "helped me how? All I wanted was for you to return my feelings. Would you have ever been able to?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Ginny," Holly sighed and steeled her gaze. "I wouldn't have been able to return your feelings. Don't get me wrong. I do love you, but like a sister and not any other way. I'm sorry."

Ginny nodded and her gaze returned to the floor. "You don't have to apologize to me. I understand. It took me a while, but Luna helped me understand...Luna and I... we're together."

Holly nodded. "That's great. Are you happy?"

Ginny nodded again. "Very. Luna helped me so much. I love her very much."

"Good," said Holly. "That's all that matters. Love and happiness. Now come on."

Holly reached forward and grabbed Ginny's hand. The younger girl blushed before she allowed herself to be dragged out of her bedroom and down the stairs, toward the kitchen.

"I almost forgot about lunch," Ginny whispered. "I almost forgot about everyone else down here too."

Holly smiled, holding back a grimace. "Don't forget about dinner. I didn't. It's going to be eventful."


	11. Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sunday family dinner turns out to be a success with lots of drama. But isn't that the way all family dinner's are supposed to be?

The lunch event had been perfectly...perfect. Ginny, Luna and Holly helped Mrs. Weasley prepare a simple and nutritious lunch for them all while Mr. Weasley had disappeared into his shed. Just as lunch was prepared and, both Ginny and Luna began to set the table, Hermione and Lavender had arrived. They brought with them a couple of board games each. Hermione held Monopoly and Scrabble, while Lavender held Clue and The Game of Life.

Once it was readily made known that they were all muggle board games Mr. Weasley seemed to have appeared out of no where. For a moment there Holly was pretty sure he apparated from the garage to the house. It made them all snicker and Mrs. Weasley gave her husband a very fond, but exasperated look.

It seemed that The Game of Life was much too boring, while Scrabble and Clue were hits. Monopoly was much too complicated, especially after trying and failing to explain the monetary system of the game to Mr. Weasley. With Scrabble they decided to include words out of the Magical encyclopedia, which seemed to almost irk Hermione to the extreme. She flinched every time a word like "cruciate" and "hippogriff" were put in. Holly supposed the reason that Hermione was losing because she refused to use any other words but muggle words.

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger," Holly playfully teased as she bumped the other girl's shoulder. "It's just a game!"

"Does no one care about being loyal to the original rules of the game!" Hermione hissed angrily as everyone looked at her with mirth filled eyes. "Sanctity is all that I ask for! Sanctity!"

Holly sighed. That was Hermione for you; neurotic about rules to the end.

But Hermione was not the only one who was becoming increasingly miffed about the games' rules. Every time Mr. Weasley would throw out a question in relation towards muggles (and not in relation to the game that they were playing) or in any other topic, her ears would turn red. The angry blush would slowly make it's way to her chest.

"Your holding up the game, Dad!" Ginny said angrily.

"I just want to understand why muggles -"

"No, Dad! Take your turn or we boot you back to the shed!"

In all, the games were a success. It was decided that they would continue to have these kind of days so that they would be able to enjoy the company of their family. That was a decision that made Mrs. Weasley very happy. The look of pure bliss on her face was nice to see. You could really tell that Mrs. Weasley really enjoyed when her home was full of company because she looked to be enjoying her role as hostess.

By the time Mrs. Weasley began to prepare dinner, everyone began to really help out. They had taken out the Wizarding Wireless radio and were listening to Celestina Warbeck belt out her new hit single "You Stole My Cauldron, But You Won't Steal My Heart"(1). This time, Mr. Weasley had really been booted to his shed so that the women could have their girl time.

"When is Draco going to arrive, dear?" Mrs. Weasley had asked Hermione.

"He should be arriving soon actually," Hermione said as she looked down at the watch on her wrist. "He had a double potions class this morning and then he was supposed to go and have afternoon tea with his parents. What about Ron, Lavender?"

Lavender looked up from the potatoes that she was peeling and smiled. "Ron? He said he would be here. George said that he was going to close the store an hour early for Sunday dinner. They are both looking forward for Sunday roast."

"That's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley beamed. "I always tell that boy he should have the store closed for Sundays. George works much too hard. Ron said that George often does many things at once for the store."

"You can't really blame George for wanting to put his whole self into the store though, Mum," Ginny said quietly as she petted Errol. "It was his and Fred's dream. George would kill himself running that store to keep it alive."

It was quiet after that. Ginny cringed and swore slightly at herself. Holly looked at her pointedly and shook her head. The younger girl should have known better. These days, speaking Fred Weasley's name was enough to silence anyone of the Weasleys. And now there was no movement, no more sounds of knives slicing vegetables at the kitchen table. They all had frozen as soon as Ginny had began to mention Fred. They all looked to the matriarch in concern. Mrs. Weasley stood like a statue over the stove. She watched silently as the water of a large pot began to boil before she turned and wiped her hands on apron.

"Ginny, dear," she said quietly with a hesitant smile. "Will you make sure the vegetables get into the pot for a moment?"

Ginny nodded, immediately. "Sure, Mum."

"Thank you, dear. I'm just going to..." Mrs. Weasley's voice trailed off as she walked out of the kitchen and into the garden.

All the girls rushed to the stove to look out the window that was over the stove. They watched as Mrs. Weasley stopped at the edge of garden, right at the picket fence gate. Her head was bowed slightly and her back was to them.

"That's the field," Ginny whispered. "That's where we would play quidditch. We would take turns riding the old brooms because there weren't enough for everyone. Every Summer, the grass would go so high that you could hide if you sat down in it..."

They all watched as Ginny wiped at her eyes. Luna wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist and the ginger haired girl laid her head upon the taller girl's shoulder.

"It was where Fred and George liked to hide out in every Summer. They would disappear every lunch time and when Mum would yell out the door for them, they would suddenly appear out of the grass, Fred always bringing up the rear."

They watched a little longer, the mood somber. The shed's aluminum door opened suddenly to show Mr. Weasley, who did a double take at the sight of his wife at the other end of the garden. The girls all watched as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

 ~*~

The spread upon the kitchen table was immense. There was almost no room for them to put their dinner plates. Holly was pretty sure that this was the first time she had seen a spread like this outside the Dursley household. And this time she was actually going to partake in this. She was so excited.

In all honestly, the whole day she had been quite nervous about the arrival of Sirius. But as soon as everyone started to arrive she realized something. She wasn't going to be alone. She had friends and family that were going to be right by her side.

Almost as soon as Mrs. Weasley had come back to the kitchen, Draco had arrived. He had floo-ed straight from Malfoy manor with a bottle of Ogden's finest in hand as a present for the patriarch of the family. It was a pure blood tradition to present the host with a gift, Hermione had whispered to them.

Right after Draco, Ron and George showed up. By this time the vegetables were done. The only food they had waited for had been the roast. Lavender had beamed at the arrival of Ron, and at the sight of Lavender, Ron's entire demeanor had relaxed. It was not hard to see that Lavender genuinely made the young man happy. Holly wasn't the only one to notice, it seemed. The smile on George's face was there for a moment and then gone a second later.

George was greeted by his mother, father and friends. Holly watched as he gave them all a smile that was nowhere near as genuine as the one he had flashed at the sight at the besotted twosome. This new smile lacked the warmth that had been there before. His eyes were now dull and betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

"Hullo, Holly," George greeted, with a wave.

"Hi, George," Holly returned the greeting. "How's business?"

George shrugged. "Same old. Busy. Thriving."

"Just as I thought it would be," Holly said with a nod. "I knew it was right thing to invest in you. And Fred."

At the mention of his brother's name, the pain flashed through his eyes. Just like his short-lived happiness, Holly saw the pain for one second and then it was gone in the next. For a very long time, Holly could remember that the mention of Fred would bring George into a catatonic state. Gradually that had changed but it was a slow one. Not that they expected him to ever get over his twin brother's death. No, they were sure that it would affect him for the rest of his life.

"You'll get better, you know."

George looked at her with surprise and confusion. "Better at what?"

"Better at dealing with the pain," Holly said quietly. "Believe me when I say from experience that the pain will never go away and never become any less painful. But you will get better at dealing with it as time goes by."

The man was speechless and wide-eyed as he looked down at her. His mouth opened as if he was about to say something in response, but he was interrupted by his mother as she began to clap her hands.

"Okay everyone!" Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Lets get to the kitchen table, dinner is ready!"

Everyone (except Draco) cheered and made their way to the kitchen table. Holly had cheered with them, her smile so wide that her cheeks felt like they would split. It was more on her thought on the Malfoys' more than Mrs. Weasley's lovely cooking. The Weasleys and the Malfoys were two very different families. Holly couldn't imagine the Malfoys giving out a hearty 'huzzah' each and every time the house elves announced a particular part of the food was ready. It was almost a comical thought.

No, wait a moment... Did she forget something again? Someone? Just as they were sitting down and she was mulling over that thought, the fire roared in the living room behind her.

"Sirius!" Arthur crowed from his seat at the head of the table before he stood and greeted the man with a hearty handshake.

Oh. Yes. It seemed she had in fact forgotten about something. Someone in particular, really. Was it bad that she had hoped he would have skipped out on the dinner? Because she had hoped he would have opted out. Of course Holly knew that they had to talk, but she had hoped that she would have a few more days to her thoughts.

She watched as Sirius greeted everyone around the table. Draco and Sirius nodded to each other before Hermione grabbed Draco by the arm and made him move to a seat on her other side, thus leaving a seat open right next to Holly. Holly glared at Hermione who avoided her gaze. She then stiffened as Sirius placed a hand on the back of her chair to squeeze in and sit down beside her. His robes and hand brushed up against her arm and she couldn't hold back the flinch at the contact.

"Here's the roast!" Mr. Weasley announced as he brought the platter over to the table.

Everyone (except Draco) 'oooh'-ed and 'ahh'-ed as he set the roast down and then began to carve into it. With a flick of her wand, Mrs. Weasley levitated platters of different vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a large pitchers of ice-cold pumpkin juice and butter beer. As soon as the platters met the table, Ron dove right in.

"It's beautiful," Ron announced as he filled his plate.

Draco leaned away from Ron, who was shoveling food into his mouth at an amazing speed and grimaced. "It's horrifying."

Ron glared with a full mouth.

Holly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sirius' husky voice asked in her ear.

Holly stiffened. His warm breath tickled her ear and goose bumps rose on her flesh sending shivers down her spine, and she hated to say it but the feeling went straight to her warm nether regions. Damn this man. Even when she was cross with him, he still managed to arouse and attract her body's attention. She gulped and leaned away as far as she could without looking like a weirdo.

"Just Ronald being Ronald," Mrs. Weasley answered the question with a quick glance at Holly, who gave her a relieved look.

The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Sirius, too. Holly was afraid the wrong words would come out. With the way her hormones were she was afraid that she would say something along the line of "how could you?!" and "you bastard!" Holly was pretty sure it was the last one she wanted to yell out at him... And then she wanted to grab him by the hair and smash his face into Mrs. Weasley's perfectly buttered mashed potatoes... She really must get the exact recipe.

Ahh, there were the hormones again.

And with that, she started to serve herself in a way that would have made Ron proud. And in fact it did. Ron gave her a look of approval as she tasted her food and moaned in ecstasy.

"Yes," Ron said aloud as he cut and tasted the roast beef. "Yes, Potter, it's that good. Better than sex."

"Really?" Lavender asked her boyfriend, looking quite amused as she glared at him sideways. "Tell me how that roast beef can be better than the sex we have, Ronald!"

Ron froze in horror, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Everyone chortled, even Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley on the other hand looked a little worriedly at them both. Holly certainly doubted that Molly Weasley wanted the dirty details on her youngest son's sex life. She was pretty sure Mrs. Weasley would be perfectly content with being in denial about it at all.

"Please, don't, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, now frowning. She confirmed Holly's suspicions. "That's too much information that I'm not ready for."

"Yes," Ginny agreed as she wrinkled her nose down at her dinner plate. "Please don't. The last thing I want to have is a mental image."

"Someone is a mite jealous," Ron muttered.

Ginny's eyes flashed with anger. "Jealous?! Why the hell would I be jealous? And certainly not of you!"

"Jealous that I'm in a wonderful relationship!" Ron countered and than added, "with a wonderful person! All your relationships had been dismal, short-lived and with flighty men!"

"How dare you!"

Everyone looked back and forth from Ginny to Ron as they traded insults. It was like a disastrous tennis match that no would could look away from. Mrs. Weasley was waving her hands in the air angrily and tried to get them to stop arguing, but so far she was ignored.

Draco whispered to Hermione, his eyes still on the arguing brother and sister.

"Thank you."

Hermione and Holly gave the young man a puzzled look.

"Er, your welcome," Hermione answered back before asking, "What are you thankful for?"

Draco continued to eat and watch Ginny and Ron argue. "You didn't tell me there was going to be dinner and a show. Quite frankly, I was thinking this was going to an insanely boring evening."

Both Holly and Hermione rolled their eyes.

"I will have you know, Ronald," Ginny raised her voice, "that I am now in a wonderful and stable relationship with the most wonderful person in my life!"

Ron rolled his eyes and gestured his fork around. "And where is he, hmm? Is he too embarrassed to come 'round the Burrow?"

Ginny's eyes glinted again. "He?"

Oh no, Holly thought. Did Ginny not yet tell anyone that she was dating her female friend?

"Who said anything about a he?"

Everyone froze and looked to the girl with wide eyes. Ginny threw her cloth napkin down and stood from her seat. She looked toward her mother and father, who looked toward her with curious wide eyes.

"Mum, Dad," she addressed them. "For a couple of weeks now, I've been dating the most wonderful person."

Ginny reached over to Luna, who stood and took her hand proudly. Everyone except Holly, gasped. Ron dropped his knife and fork, his mouth gaping in astonishment. Draco grinned, digging into his food enthusiastically as he watched the drama increase.

"Luna and I are dating," Ginny said with her chin jutted out in defiance.

"Wha-?!" almost everyone in the room said in surprise.

Everyone then started talking at once. Lavender began to berate Ron, who was still in the belief that he had done nothing wrong. Draco began to guffaw loudly and nearly choked on the food that was still in his mouth. Hermione slapped him on the back none too gently. George was the first to stand from his chair and congratulate his sister, which kick-started their parents to react. They too stood and began to congratulate both Ginny and Luna.

Holly wiped her mouth and then stood from her seat. She quickly escaped the drama that was finally coming to an end in the kitchen. She shut herself in the bathroom and ran some cool water over her face. Why was it that all the drama in a family would always become an explosive time bomb doomed to explode only during family dinners?

Of course, this was not the first time she had attended a dinner where it come to an explosive end. She recalled the dinner at the Dursley's before her third year of schooling at Hogwarts. Now, that dinner had not really been all that enjoyable until the end of the night when Marge had decided to drunkenly insult Holly's mother by calling her a bitch and effectively comparing her to a female dog. Needless to say, Holly had not taken that well and proceeded to inflate Marge like a blimp. And it had been all through accidental magic, of course.

"She got what she deserved," Holly muttered aloud as she dried her face.

She made sure her face and hair were presentable before she began to exit the bathroom and back to the (hopefully) calmed dinner party. Unfortunately, it seemed the night was sure not going to her plans.

She squeaked in surprise at the sight of Sirius towering over her at the door and then gasped in outrage as he pushed her back into the bathroom none too gently. She stumbled back and Sirius caught her before she could fall. He held her close, his hands going around her waist tightly.

"How dare you - Merff!"

His lips covered hers swiftly. And all Holly saw was red. Her arm reared back and then her hand came forward fast, catching him on the cheek with a loud smack. It was enough to surprise him and he stumbled back himself, losing his grip on her.

"What the bloody hell was that for?!" They both shouted at each other angrily.

"You deserved it!" Holly yelled, feeling the anger bubble up in her stomach. "How dare you kiss me!"

"I was trying to apologize!" said Sirius, trying and failing to defend himself.

Holly fisted her hands at her side and stamped a foot. "I would have rather heard an apology from you than have you completely attack me!"

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, fisting his hands in his hair. "I'm sorry, alright?! Is that better?"

She gasped in outrage again, lifted her fist and hit him in the gut. "Is that better?! Did you really just say, 'is that better?!'"

Sirius hunched forward and tried to block his gut from a few more hits she tried to give him. Holly took a step forward with each hit she delivered to him, completely forgetting that she had a wand. Even though she was putting in all of her energy and body weight into the hits it seemed as if they were not effecting him at all. He chuckled and it only made her even angrier, and she tried to hit him harder.

"All of this aggression," Sirius grunted out, still trying to block her hits. "Is probably not good for the baby! Ouch!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Holly growled as she backed him out of the bathroom and into the hallway.

A bark of laughter choked out of his throat when Holly decided to aim lower for his family jewels. Sirius, finally having enough reached forward and took hold of both of her elbows. He used gentle strength to stop her hits and pulled her into his chest. Holly frowned up at him, still angry. Her eyes conveyed her angry, but at the same time they began to water uncontrollably. She cursed her emotions.

"Don't cry," Sirius begged, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry. And I really do mean it."

She allowed him to hold her close and even allowed herself to wrap her arms around his waist. Holly sniffed and wiped her tears off on his robes.

"I'm not crying!" Holly denied indignantly. "It's just pregnancy hormones, is all! I'm pretty sure S.P.E.W. would make me cry right now, so don't you dare go assuming that these tears are for you, Sirius Black!"

Sirius nodded, though now he had a relieved grin on his face.

"Okay, sweetheart. Okay.. I love you, Holly."

"I-I love you, too, you arsehole."

"Erm...*hem* *hem*."

The sound of someone clearing their throat surprised them both that they nearly jumped out of their skins. The fact that it was extremely reminiscent of Delores Umbridge nearly had her hormone enslaved emotions in an enraged tizzy. Oh, if only that pink toad were here! Holly would use her as target practice!

Standing in the hallway was George Weasley. His eyes were sparkling and merry looking as he gazed upon them. He also had a fist nearly shoved into his mouth that seemed to be blocking the snickers that were helplessly escaping. On any other occasion, Holly would have loved to see this expression on the only living Weasley twin's face, but at this moment it was certainly not appreciated.

"Exciting dinner, isn't it?" George asked from around his fist.

Holly frowned deeply at him. Nope, not appreciated at all. Sirius, always the drama loving marauder, beamed.

"Next time you two decide to go off and have a 'private' conversation... I would recommend keeping it in the bathroom and using a silencing charm. Food for thought."

They watched him pass them by and enter the bathroom that they had been occupying before they turned back to each other. Sirius grimaced down at her and Holly knew exactly what he was thinking. He did not want to go back into the kitchen as much as she did, because if they were really as loud as Holly reckoned they were, then everyone in Burrow heard their entire conversation.

Holly sucked in a breath, grabbed Sirius collar and dragged him into the kitchen. He was protesting slightly but Sirius still allowed her to drag him along. His protests died as soon as they both entered and noticed that every one of the family were now back in their seats and as quiet as death.

Draco was still eating with a gusto while Hermione looked uncomfortable. The same could be said for Lavender and Ron, except Ron was still eating normally. It was quite a combination of emotions on Ron's face that was confusing. Ginny and her father, though, looked quite shocked.

It was only Mrs. Weasley and Luna who looked somewhat as if they had not heard any sort of argument that had transpired in the hallway just a few short feet away. No doubt Mrs. Weasley was trying to save face since this was her home and she was the hostess. Luna, thank goodness, was just being Luna.

"Congratulations!" Luna greeted to them. "I knew the moment I saw you! There had to be no explanation for such a glowing nargle infestation."

"Are you really pregnant?!" Ginny asked, trying and failing to not look distraught.(2)

"Yes," Sirius answered for Holly, looking quite pleased. "We're pregnant, everyone!"

At once, everyone began to congratulate the couple. No one, except Holly and Luna noticed how Ginny left the room quickly and dashed up the stairs. Luna gave Holly a congratulatory kiss on the cheek before she followed after her red-haired lover. Holly had no idea what that was about, but she hoped that whatever it was Luna would be able to help Ginny to the fullest.

After the commotion died down, they were actually able to finish their dinner without anymore disturbances. George had come back from the bathroom and he still had the twinkle in his eye that had Mr. and Mrs. Weasley beaming. Luna had been able to coax a red-eyed Ginny down as well, but she was certainly a bit more somber than she had previously been.

For dessert they had went into the back garden. It was a cold night, yet not too cold. With the help of Draco, Sirius and Ron, the kitchen chairs were levitated out to the garden where they talked in soft tones and looked up at the stars in the night sky. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting close together, their voices whispers to everyone else. It was much the same for Lavender and Ron. Luna seemed to still be comforting Ginny, but Holly wasn't really paying any attention to that to give the couple some privacy. George had opted to sit with Hermione and Draco. Surprisingly, both George and Draco got along splendidly and were talking business. Holly had a feeling that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would soon have another financial invester.

Sirius and Holly however, were quiet. They shared a large, warm blanket between them, their chairs so close their bodies were pressed against each other. Sirius was slowly eating a large slice of warm apple pie, while Holly was making her way through a large piece of treacle tart she had stolen from Ron's dessert plate. The red-haired fiend had thought he would make away with the tasty dessert.

"Your quite bipolar, aren't you?" Holly asked him quietly. "You've certainly made a complete one-eighty from last night."

He raised an eyebrow in her direction before he sighed. "I had a lot of time to think and berate myself. I won't deny that last night I panicked, but when I realized what I had done this morning I was angry at myself, again. And then I was - am still, immensely happy about this...about our baby.

"And why the hell wouldn't I be?" he continued on. "We made something, you and I. Our love literally combined into one being while we were making love to each other. Was it planned? No, of course not. But was it deliberate? I would think so, yes. We were deliberately showing each other and giving each other so much love that it manifested into the ultimate creation. A beautiful creation that is half you and right now is nestled inside your beautiful body."

Holly covered her mouth with a shaky palm to hold in an extremely emotional sob. She was trying so hard to hold in the tears of absolute love that wanted so bad to fall. When she looked into his eyes and saw that they were just as tear filled as her own, they met half way in a searing and lingering kiss. Sirius rested his forehead against her own and let his own tears fall.

"Our baby is half you and half me," he whispered against her lips. "How can I not love our baby."

She covered his lip with her own again, tasting the sweet taste of apple pie before pressing her face into his neck and embracing him. With one strong arm he moved her onto his lap and wrapped the blanket tighter around themselves. They basked in their closeness before the sound of a knife against glassware brought their attention to Ron and Lavender.

"Everyone," Ron said gruffly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know there has been a lot of excitement tonight... But Lav and I couldn't hold it back any longer.. Er..Ehh.."

Ron stalled for a moment before Lavender, whom was still seated, reached over and slapped the back of Ron's thigh. He yelped in surprise.

"Er, yes! I asked Lavender to marry me, and she said yes."

Once again there were gasps among the dinner party before they all surged forward and began congratulating Lavender and Ron. Mrs. Weasley was sniffing as she held her youngest son in her arms.

"Wait!" Ron grunted, trying to paw his way out of his mother's clutches. "I'm not done!"

"What else, Ron?" Mr. Weasley beamed. "I think we could take anything after all the surprises tonight has brought."

Even in the dark everyone could see the famous Weasley blush climbing up Ron's neck and to his ears. He cleared his throat and held Lavender's hand to his chest.

"We just found out that," Ron took another breath and said, "Lavender is pregnant."

Everyone surged forward again, mobbing the couple in well wishes and hugs. Mrs. Weasley was full on sobbing, this time holding Lavender in her arms and kissing her brow every so often. Holly was sobbing too, hugging her friend from behind.

"Oh, Arthur," Molly sobbed to her husband. "More grandbabies! We're having more grandbabies to run around our burrow!"

Mr. Weasley couldn't hide the sheen in his eyes. "I know, Mollywobbles, I know."

George suddenly rushed inside and then came back out with many glasses and two jugs floating behind him. One was filled with fire whiskey and the other with pumpkin juice.

"I would like to propose a toast!" he said, as the glasses began to fill themselves and hand themselves out. "To all the happy couples! To Ron and Lavender! To Ginny and Luna! To Holly and Sirius! To me and Draco! -"

George gave a wink in Draco's direction who lifted his fire whiskey high with a smirk, one arm wrapped around Hermione's waist. Hermione scoffed and gave a look of mock anger at George, who grinned back.

"To his lovely girl, Hermione! To Mum and Dad!-"

His face suddenly turned serious as he looked up at the star filled sky and said, "and to Fred!

"May we all live in this point on with no regrets and with as much love as possible!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1): For those of you who have yet to sign up for pottermore, this is actually a real song and it's bandstand. It's pretty darn good if you compare it to other bandstand, but "Egyptian Ella" will always be my favorite.
> 
> (2): Obviously Ginny still has some feelings for Holly. While my Muse!Ginny is dating Luna (who understands that Ginny may still be in love with Holly), she is still harboring the hope that she may have a chance with being with Holly. She is distraught because her foolish dream has been crushed with the sudden announcement of Holly's pregnancy. While I was actually writing the conversation from Chapter Nine between Holly and Ginny, where Holly forgives Ginny's transgressions, I realized that even though my Muse!Holly was explaining to my Muse!Ginny that she could never be with her, Muse!Ginny was not listening! In some ways this Ginny is still that little girl who begs mummy and daddy to tell her more stories about the famous Girl-Who-Lived. Muse!Ginny is this story sees Holly as her fairytale princess come to sweep her off her feet. When Holly forgives her and tells her that she loves Ginny (as a sister, not a lover), this Ginny actually falls a little more in love with her.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How James Sirius Black came into the world.

"He's beautiful," Sirius breathed in awe. "I've never seen anything so breath-taking in my life."

The baby boy he held in his hands was born at about 6:59AM on a Monday. He was healthy with a head full of dark auburn hair and his father's eyes. He was wide-eyed and quiet as opposed to the banshee like scream that had emitted from his healthy lungs when Holly had finally been able to push him free from her body.

As soon as Holly had seen the hair color of her first-born child she had began to sob anew, which had to have been the hundredth time that day. The auburn hair had to have come from her mother's side of the family because as far as Sirius had been able to think back, everyone in the Black family lineage had been born with black locks. But Holly didn't care about that because she just knew that in some way this had been a work of her mum's.

The dark auburn hair had been a beautiful gift from her mother and it brought tears to her eyes. Tears that were of grief, joy, happiness and thankfulness. Oh how she wished more than ever that her parents had been alive to see their grandchild. But that's alright. because her mother had sent down a little piece of herself for her daughter to have with her forever. And that little piece was now living in Holly's own child.

Mother and baby were now resting peacefully in bed. Holly and Sirius had actually decided on a traditional home birth in the new home they had purchased out in Ottery St. Catchpole. With the help of Lavender Weasley, Molly Weasley and Holly's healer, Gertrude Stump, the labor itself was a few minutes over eleven hours long. As soon as the contractions had hit her, Holly had been eager to get her baby out! She had never felt such pain before but when she held her baby in her arms she knew that it was worth every second.

Sirius had not really been much help to Holly. She knew that he was trying to be sweet by holding her hand and giving out occasional supporting compliments, but there was never a time more than through the entire labor where she was so incredibly annoyed with his face. She had been so incredibly hot and uncomfortable that there were more than a few times she would have to scream at him through clenched teeth to "GERROFME!" when he had only been trying to give her a hand to hold.

"Just give me some space to breath!" she had begged him through her clenched teeth as another contraction had hit her.

Lavender and Mrs. Weasley would occupy him by sending him out of the bedroom to get more and more ice chips, which Sirius was incredibly thankful for.

The first person to hold the baby had been Mrs. Weasley. As soon as Holly had pushed her son out, Healer Stump had handed him off to her to clean up. Lavender had been at her side to help, but she had been limited to what she was able to do since she herself was heavily pregnant. After he was cleaned, Molly held the boy in her arms with tears in her eyes. She made small steps to Sirius before she handed him off.

"He's gorgeous!" Mrs. Weasley sniffled. "I've got to floo call the family! I'll have Arthur come on over as well!"

Healer Stump then showed Holly how to have the baby latch onto her breast to begin breast-feeding and she flinched and hissed the whole time. The process was painful for her very sensitive nipple but Healer Stump assured her that it would get easier and if it still remained painful she could also seek the use of muggle breast pump. It turned out that Healer Stump was a muggle born who was trying to introduce of couple of modern muggle marvels into her pediatric office. The baby latched on easily and fed with a gusto of a starving man as Holly and Sirius watched totally enraptured.

The healer began taking out official papers from her suitcase and a quill automatically appeared at the ready to document.

"Have you two settled on a name?" Healer Stump asked.

Sirius and Holly smiled at each other and then down at their beautiful baby boy.

"James," said Sirius while wiping a hand over his exhausted yet happy face. "James Sirius Black."

"Welcome," Holly cooed down at her baby with a kiss to his brow. "My baby boy."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is the next story of the relationship of Holly and Sirius. Holly is my Fem!Harry character who has been an annoying muse for a while now. She is badgering me to keep on writing about her until my fingers fall out. I hope you enjoy it at least.


End file.
